Avenues for Future Research

This report provides in-depth analysis of demographic characteristics and outcomes across a range of areas for Scotland’s Gypsy/Traveller population. These figures show a range of different outcomes for the Gypsy/Traveller population when compared to the rest of Scotland in a number of areas, in particular health, and education. In addition, throughout the report, results showed differences when drawing comparisons between sexes and age groups, both within the Gypsy/Traveller population and compared to the rest of Scotland. 

The Census data presented here can be used to better inform policy making aimed at improving the lives of Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland, particularly for the work being carried out as part of the Scottish Government’s Improving the Lives of Scotland's Gypsy/Travellers 2: action plan 2024-2026. 

While this report highlights new data on the Gypsy/Traveller population, there are limitations to our understanding in certain areas which may benefit from future research.

• This report was not able to link Census results to political, social and economic contexts that may produce the differences in outcomes. Building on the descriptive analysis produced in this report, use of additional evidence and new research would be beneficial to strengthen the understanding of the experiences of Gypsy/Travellers in more detail.
• Further research exploring the experiences of the individual families and groups often recognised under this umbrella term as outcomes and experiences may differ. 
• Aligning future research with the Census questions would enable more comprehensive comparisons and longitudinal data to track changes over time.

Updates and progress of the actions seeking to improve the lives of Scotland’s Gypsy/Travellers, some of which focus on addressing the disproportionate outcomes found in this report, can be found online: Gypsy/Travellers - gov.scot