« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
2. The composition and characteristics of households in Scotland
The SHS collects information on a number of levels: for the household as a whole, about individual household members and for the Scottish population resident in private households 2. Information about the household, including details of the age, gender and working status of all household members is collected from the household respondent. The structure of households is illustrated in Figure 2.1. Almost a third of households (32%) in Scotland contain only one adult (single adult i.e. one person of non-pensionable age, or single pensioner 3). Families with children aged under 16 make up just over a quarter (26%) of households.
Figure 2.1: Household type
2007 data, Households (base: 13414)
Single adult households (of non-pensionable age) are more common in large urban areas; 20% in large urban areas compared with, for example 10% in remote rural areas (Table 2.1). Conversely, older smaller households are more common in remote rural areas (23%) than in large urban areas (14%).
Table 2.1: Household type 4 by urban/rural classification
Column percentages, 2007 data, Households
| Large urban areas | Other urban areas | Accessible small towns | Remote small towns | Accessible rural | Remote rural | Scotland |
|---|
Single adult | 20 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 16 |
|---|
Small adult | 17 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 17 |
|---|
Single parent | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
|---|
Small family | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 13 |
|---|
Large family | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
|---|
Large adult | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
|---|
Older smaller | 14 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 16 |
|---|
Single pensioner | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 16 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 4,529 | 3,904 | 1,131 | 778 | 1,743 | 1,319 | 13,404 |
|---|
« Previous | Contents | Next »