Scottish Household Survey Bulletin No.2

6 Older people

Incomes

Single pensioner households are more likely than other single-adult households to be in the lowest income band. For example, over half (52%) of single pensioner households have an income of £6,000 a year or less compared with 23% of single adult households and 16% of single parent households (Table 1 in Section 3).

Older smaller households generally have a higher household income level than single pensioner households (see definition in Section 11). This is largely a function of household size but in 14% of cases, older smaller households contain a working adult while all single pensioner households are retired (Table 9 in section 4).

Over 70% of people aged between 60 and 74 are permanently retired from work compared with 90% of those aged 75 or older. Fifteen per cent of those aged between 60 and 74 are working, with 3% being self- employed, 7% being in full-time employment and 5% working part-time. Two per cent of people aged 75 or over are in work (no table).

Housing

Single pensioner households and older smaller households often have a considerable level of wealth tied up in property, since older people are most likely to own their own homes. As Figure 3 shows, 38% of single pensioner households and 56% of older smaller households own their property outright. This compares with only 20% of large adult households, less than 20% of single adult and small adult households and less than 10% of all households containing children.

Figure 3: Proportion owning property outright by household type

See Table 1 for bases (Households).

Within the lowest income bands, older smaller households and single pensioner households are more likely to have savings than non-pensioner households (Table 13).

Older households and the bedroom standard

Older smaller households and small adult households are defined by the bedroom standard as requiring one or two bedrooms depending on whether household members are married or cohabiting or not. Single adult and single pensioner households are defined as requiring one bedroom.

Under-occupation does not appear to be more common among older households than in other households of equivalent size. A similar proportion of small adult households and older smaller households (44% and 42%) and single adult and single pensioner households (19% and 22%) have two or more bedrooms greater than the number required by the bedroom standard (no table).

Households containing older people

The majority of people aged over 60 (over 80%) live in households where everyone is an older person (no table).

Just 11% of people aged over 60 live in a household where the HIH is an older person but where other younger adults also live. Six per cent of people aged over 60 live in households where the head of household is a younger person. Only 2% of people aged over 60 live in households that also contain children (no table).

Analysis of whether these multi-generational households failed the bedroom standard is not conclusive because of the small numbers of such households currently in the sample.

Note: Sample size reduced because of refusals and insufficient data on income questions