Health and Care Experience Survey 2015/16 - National Results

3 Demographic and Health Information from Survey Respondents

Introduction

3.1 We asked patients a number of questions about their demographic characteristics. This chapter provides a summary of their responses. Unlike the rest of the survey results in this report, this analysis is based on unweighted data.

3.2 Overall, the profile of respondents was very similar to that in 2013/14, although there was a slightly larger proportion of older respondents to this most recent survey.

Age and Gender

3.3 Women were over represented in the survey compared to the 2014 population estimates from the National Records of Scotland ^[4] . These estimates show that 52 per cent of the population aged 16 and over are female, however 57 per cent of respondents to the survey were female.

3.4 Similarly, the majority of respondents were aged 65 or more (41 per cent) or between 50 and 64 (33 per cent). Fewer respondents were aged between 35 and 49 (16 per cent) or between 16 and 34 (ten per cent). The older age groups are over represented compared to the 2014 population estimates. The estimates show a smaller proportion of population in the age groups 65 and more (22 per cent) and 50-64 (24 per cent) based on the population aged 16 and over.

Employment and Accommodation

3.5 Respondents were asked to describe their work status and also the accommodation in which they live. In line with the age profile for respondents, 45 per cent said that they were retired. A further 42 per cent work either full or part time. Six per cent said that they didn't work due to illness or disability.

3.6 Half of respondents reported that they owned their home outright and 23 per cent said they were buying their home with a mortgage or loan. Twenty per cent lived in rented accommodation (either from their local council/Housing Association or from a private landlord).

Health Information

3.7 People were asked to rate their health in general. Sixty one per cent rated their health as good, 34 per cent rated it as fair and five per cent rated it as bad.

3.8 Just over half of respondents said that they had one or more long-term health conditions. The prevalence of these increased with age, from 32 per cent of respondents aged between 17 and 34, to 62 per cent aged over 65. Just over a third of respondents said that their day-to-day activities were limited because of a health problem or disability which had lasted, or was expected to last, at least 12 months.

3.9 People were also asked how well in general they felt they were able to look after their own health. Most patients (94 per cent) responded they could look after their own health very well or quite well.

3.10 Finally, people were asked to rate their quality of life as a whole (based on the good and bad things that made up their quality of life). Of those who responded:

• 45 per cent of patients rated their quality of life as very good;
• 35 per cent of patients rated it as good;
• 16 per cent of patients rated it as alright / neither good or bad;
• four per cent of patients rated it as bad or very bad.