Scottish Government

Living In Scotland: An Urban-Rural Analysis Of The Scottish Household Survey

APPENDIX TWO: GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF KEY SUBGROUPS OF RANDOM ADULT INTERVIEWEES

DEFINITIONS OF HOUSEHOLD TYPES

The household types shown in Table 2.1 are defined as follows:

• Single adult: A household comprising one adult of non-pensionable age, and no children
• Single parent: A household containing one adult (any age), plus one or more children
• Single pensioner: A household containing one adult of pensionable age and no children
• Small family: A household comprising two adults (any age) and one or two children
• Older smaller: A household comprising one adult of non-pensionable age, one of pensionable age, and no children, or two adults of pensionable age and no children
• Large adult: A household comprising three or more adults and no children
• Small adult: A household comprising two adults of non-pensionable age and no children
• Large family: A household comprising two adults of any age and three or more children, or three adults of any age and one or more children

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBGROUPS (SCOTLAND AS A WHOLE)

This rest of this appendix presents SHS results for key subgroups of the random adult interviewees relevant to social inclusion issues (adults of working age, the over 50s, lone parents, and adults with a limiting long term illness or disability). In the first section results for each group (whole of Scotland) are compared with the results for the entire SHS sample. In the sections which follow the results for each subgroup are presented, according to the six-fold classification of rural and urban areas within Scotland. A standard set of tables (replicating that used in Chapter 2) is used to facilitate easy comparisons of patterns between the groups. Commentary on these tables seeks to highlight differences in rural-urban patterns between each sub-group and the full SHS sample.

Age and sex structure

In terms of gender, the only substantial difference between the four subgroups and the total sample is in the lone parent's group, where the overwhelming majority (94%) are female (Table A2.1.1). There is also a slight bias towards females in the limiting long term illness/disability group.

Table A2.1.1 Age/sex structure by Subgroup

The different age profiles for working age and over 50 groups are a direct function of the groups' definition. As one might expect, the lone parents group have a relatively young profile, (91% are under 45, compared with 56% in the entire SHS sample), whereas those suffering a long term illness/disability tend to be in the older age groups (only 24% under 45).

Marital Status

The working age group contains the majority of the SHS sample, and as a result its marital status profile is very similar, except for the relatively low proportion of widow(er)s (Table A2.1.2). In the over fifties group a relatively large proportion (almost three quarters), are married, and over a fifth are widowed. In the group declaring a limiting long term illness/disability the large proportion of widow(er)s is a function of the age structure of the group.

Table A2.1.2 Marital Status by Subgroup

Educational Qualifications

The working age group has relatively few people (4% compared with 23% in the full sample) with no qualifications at all (Table A2.1.3). By contrast almost half the over fifties had no qualifications, and another third had no qualification above standard grade. More than two thirds of lone parents and over 80% of those suffering long term illness/disability had not progressed beyond standard grade.

Table A2.1.3 Educational Qualifications by Subgroup

Occupation/Social Class

The over fifties, lone parents and long term ill all had relatively large proportions of missing values for occupation, due to the large proportion who were not employed. They also showed fewer professional and managerial occupations, and larger numbers of manual and partly skilled/unskilled occupations (Table A2.1.4).

Table A2.1.4 Occupation/Social Class by Subgroup

Length of Residency

Table A2.1.5 shows that those of working age, and (more especially) lone parents are more likely to have moved house within the past ten years, while the over-fifties and those with limiting long term illness showed considerable residential stability.

Table A2.1.5 Length of Residency in Present House by Subgroup

Housing Tenure

The over fifties (having had time to pay off mortgages) are more likely to own their home outright. Working age individuals were more likely to be purchasing their home through a mortgage, whist public sector renting was associated to some extent with being a lone parent and with those suffering long term illness. Lone parents were also slightly more likely (than the full sample) to be renting privately.

Table A2.1.6 Housing Tenure by Subgroup

Car Ownership

Almost 70% of lone parents do not own a car (Table A2.1.7). Those suffering long term illness (and perhaps unable to drive) are also less likely to own a car.

Table A2.1.7 Car Ownership by Subgroup

ADULTS OF WORKING AGE

Age and Sex Structures

The age structure/rural-urban pattern within the working age population (Table A2.2.1) mirrors that of the full sample, with above average numbers in the younger age groups in the cities, and larger numbers of older people in remote and rural areas. The distribution of those suffering long term illness also shows a slight concentration in urban areas, (as in the full sample).

Table A2.2.1 Age/sex structure by Area (Adults of working age)

Marital Status

The urban-rural pattern of marital status among working age interviewees mirrors that of the full sample (Table A2.2.2)

Table A2.2.2 Marital Status by Area (Adults of working age)

Educational Qualifications

The distribution of qualifications among respondents of working age suggests a relative deficit in qualifications in the remote towns and in the 'other urban areas (Table A2.2.3). The highest proportions with higher education qualifications are found in the large urban areas and in the two rural area types.

Table A2.2.3 Educational Qualifications by Area (Adults of working age)

Occupation/Social Class

The pattern of occupations/social class among the working age population (Table A2.2.4) mirrors that of the full sample reported in Chapter 2.

Table A2.2.4 Occupation/Social Class by Area (Adults of working age)

L ength of Residency

The distribution of length of residency figures among the working age adults (Table A2.2.5) reveals the same tendency for greater movement in urban areas and greater stability in rural and remote areas described in Chapter 2.

Table A2.2.5 Length of Residency in Present House (Adults of working age)

Housing Tenure

Table A2.2.6 Housing Tenure by Area (Adults of working age)

Car Ownership

Table A2.2.7 Car Ownership by Area (Adults of working age)