Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Initial Monitoring Report and Monitoring Framework

In 2023/24, 1,515 projects were funded across Scotland, compared to 1,458 in 2022. As shown on Figure 8, all 31 TSI areas had funded projects, with the number of awards generally reflecting population size. Urban areas such as Glasgow City (202 projects) and City of Edinburgh (107 projects) received the highest number of grants, while smaller totals were seen in rural and island areas, including Orkney (18 projects) and Eilean Siar (20 projects).

Percentage of adults living in Scotland reporting welcoming neighbourhood spaces and opportunities for connection

The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether their neighbourhood is a welcoming place for socialising, and whether there are opportunities to meet new people. Responses are disaggregated by age, urban/rural, deprivation, gender, disability and ethnicity to monitor equitable access to community spaces, activities, and social support opportunities that promote mental health.

In 2024, the percentage of adults agreeing that their neighbourhood has welcoming places and opportunities to meet new people varied across population groups. Compared with the 2022 baseline, changes were small across most groups.

• Age: In 2024, agreement increased among adults aged 16–24 (from 54% to 57%) and 25–34 (from 49% to 57%; this increase was statistically significant). Agreement among adults aged 45–59 remained unchanged at 54%, while agreement among those aged 75 and over increased slightly from 55% to 56%.

• Urban/Rural: Adults living in rural Scotland continued to report higher agreement than those living in the rest of Scotland (58% compared with 55% in 2024). Agreement increased in the rest of Scotland (from 52% to 55%; this increase was statistically significant) and remained unchanged in rural areas.
• Deprivation: Adults living in the least deprived areas were more likely to agree than those living in the most deprived areas (63% compared with 49% in 2024). Agreement was statistically significantly higher in 2024 than in 2022 for adults living in SIMD quintiles 1–3.
• Sex: In 2024, agreement was the same for men/boys and women/girls at 56%. This represents a statistically significant increase of three percentage points for both groups since 2022.
• Disability: In 2024, disabled adults were less likely to agree than non-disabled adults (50% compared with 58%). Agreement increased by three percentage points among both disabled and non-disabled adults since 2022; both increases were statistically significant.
• Ethnicity: In 2024, agreement was similar among white adults (56%) and adults from other ethnic groups (55%). Agreement among white adults increased compared with 2022 (from 53% to 56%), and this increase was statistically significant.

In 2024, the percentage of adults agreeing that there are places where people can meet up and socialise varied across population groups, with increases observed in most groups since 2022.

• Age: Agreement increased among adults aged 25–34 (from 55% to 59%). The increases among adults aged 60–74 (from 57% to 61%) and those aged 75 and over (from 57% to 62%) were statistically significant. Agreement decreased among adults aged 16–24 (from 60% to 58%) and remained unchanged among those aged 35–44 (57%).
• Urban/Rural: Adults living in rural Scotland reported higher agreement than those living in the rest of Scotland (61% compared with 60% in 2024). Compared to 2022, agreement increased in the rest of Scotland (from 56% to 60%, a statistically significant increase) and decreased in rural areas (from 63% to 61%).
• Deprivation: Adults living in the least deprived areas remained the most likely to agree (67%) compared with adults living in the most deprived areas (51%) in 2024. Agreement increased across all deprivation quintiles, with a statistically significant increase observed in Quintile 2 (six percentage points).
• Sex: In 2024, agreement was the same among men/boys and women/girls at 60%. Since 2022, agreement among women/girls increased by four percentage points, and this increase was statistically significant.
• Disability: Disabled adults were less likely to agree than non-disabled adults in 2024 (54% compared with 62%). Agreement among non-disabled adults increased by three percentage points since 2022, and this increase was statistically significant.
• Ethnicity: In 2024, agreement was higher among white adults (60%) than among adults from other ethnic groups (57%). Compared with 2022, agreement increased among white adults (from 58% to 60%; statistically significant) and increased among adults from other ethnic groups (from 52% to 57%).

Percentage of adults living in Scotland who do not use or pass through a public green, blue, or open space in their local area at all

The Scottish Household Survey asks adults whether they use or pass through public green, blue, or open spaces in their local area. These community spaces are important for mental health and wellbeing (White et al, 2021). Responses are disaggregated by age, geography, deprivation, gender, disability, and ethnicity to monitor equitable access.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, the percentage of adults reporting that they did not use or pass through a public green, blue, or open space in their local area varied across population groups. Data for 2022 are not available for this indicator, and therefore a baseline comparison prior to the publication of the Strategy is not presented.

• Age: Adults aged 60 and over were more likely to report non-use (28%) than those aged 16–34 (13%) or 35–59 (15%).
• Urban/Rural: Non-use was highest in adults living in other urban areas (21%) and lowest in remote small towns (11%).
• Deprivation: Adults living in the most deprived areas were most likely to report non-use (28%), compared to 11% of adults living in the least deprived areas.

• Gender: A slightly higher proportion of women/girls (19%) than men/boys (18%) reported non-use.
• Disability: Disabled adults were more than twice as likely to report non-use (33%) compared to non-disabled adults (14%).
• Ethnicity: White adults overall reported 20% non-use, with variation across other groups: White: Other British (14%), White: Other (11%), and Other ethnic groups (14%).

Percentage of adults living in Scotland who have never used local authority sport and leisure facilities

The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether they use local authority sport and leisure facilities. Access to these facilities can support mental health and wellbeing (Heckel et al, 2024). Responses are disaggregated by age, geography, deprivation, gender, disability, and ethnicity to monitor equitable access.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, the percentage of adults reporting that they had never used local authority sport and leisure facilities varied across population groups. Data for 2023 are compared with 2022 to provide a baseline prior to publication of the Strategy.

• Age: In 2023, adults aged 60 and over were the most likely to report non-use (40%), compared with adults aged 16–34 (29%) and those aged 35–59 (28%). Non-use decreased compared with 2022 among adults aged 60 and over (from 46% to 40%) and among adults aged 35–59 (from 32% to 28%); both decreases were statistically significant.
• Deprivation: In 2023, adults living in the most deprived areas were more likely to report non-use (40%) than those living in the least deprived areas (27%). Compared with 2022, non-use decreased among adults living in the least deprived areas (from 33% to 27%), and this decrease was statistically significant.

• Sex: In 2023, women/girls were slightly more likely than men/boys to report non-use (33% compared with 32%). Compared with 2022, non-use decreased among women/girls (from 36% to 33%) and among men/boys (from 36% to 32%); both decreases were statistically significant.
• Disability: In 2023, disabled adults were more likely to report non-use than non-disabled adults (39% compared with 30%). Compared with 2022, non-use decreased among disabled adults (from 44% to 39%) and among non-disabled adults (from 33% to 30%); both decreases were statistically significant.
• Ethnicity: In 2023, reported non-use was highest among adults from minority ethnic groups (49%), followed by adults in the White: Other (39%), White: Other British (33%), and White (30%) groups. Compared with 2022, reported non-use remained unchanged among adults from minority ethnic groups (49%) and adults in the White: Other group (39%). Reported non-use decreased among White: Other British adults (from 40% to 33%) and among White Scottish adults (from 34% to 30%); both decreases were statistically significant.

Percentage of adults living in Scotland who have done formal volunteering in the last 12 months for organisations or groups

The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether they have participated in formal volunteering in the past 12 months for organisations or groups. This includes activities such as helping in schools, supporting health and wellbeing services, coaching sports, or contributing to local community projects.

Volunteering is linked to better mental health and has been found to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. It also plays a role in tackling loneliness and social isolation (Nichol et al., 2024). Responses are disaggregated by age, urban/rural location, deprivation, gender, disability, and ethnicity to monitor equitable access.

In 2024, the percentage of adults living in Scotland reporting formal volunteering varied across population groups:

• Age: Adults aged 35–59 were most likely to have volunteered (27%), followed by those aged 60 and over and those aged 16–34 (24%). Compared with 2022, volunteering increased across all age groups, and these increases were statistically significant.
• Urban/rural: Adults in rural Scotland were more likely to have volunteered (31%) than those in the rest of Scotland (24%). Compared with 2022, volunteering increased in both rural Scotland and the rest of Scotland, and both increases were statistically significant.
• Deprivation: Volunteering increased with affluence, from 17% in the most deprived areas to 31% in the least deprived areas. Compared with 2022, volunteering increased among adults living in the least deprived areas, and this increase was statistically significant.
• Sex: A higher proportion of women/girls (27%) than men/boys (24%) reported volunteering. Compared with 2022, volunteering increased among both women/girls and men/boys, and both increases were statistically significant.
• Disability: Non-disabled adults were more likely to have volunteered (28%) than disabled adults (18%). Compared with 2022, volunteering increased among non-disabled adults, and this increase was statistically significant.
• Ethnicity: White: Other British adults had the highest volunteering rate (34%), compared to Minority ethnic groups (26%), White: Scottish (24%), and White: Other (24%). Compared with 2022, volunteering increased among White Scottish adults and White: Other British adults, and both increases were statistically significant.

Reflections on short-term outcome 13

Short-Term Outcome 13 of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy focuses on ensuring that communities have equitable access to activities and opportunities that support mental health and wellbeing. The data presented provides a useful baseline for monitoring progress and offers early indications of how access varies across population groups and geographies.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supported a wide range of projects across Scotland in 2023/24, reaching all Third Sector Interface areas. Projects were aimed at a diverse range of populations, including people facing socio-economic disadvantage, families with a disabled family member, and people with long-term health conditions or disabilities, demonstrating broad coverage across different population groups and geographical areas.

Data across multiple measures of community activities and opportunities highlight consistent inequalities. Adults living in more deprived areas, those with disabilities, younger adults, and some ethnic minority groups are generally less likely to experience welcoming neighbourhoods, access green and leisure spaces, or participate in formal volunteering. In contrast, adults in less deprived, rural, or non-disabled populations report higher levels of access and engagement with services.

Changes since the baseline have generally been small. Reported increases in participation in formal volunteering were observed across population groups between 2022 and 2024. For some groups, changes were also observed in reported access to welcoming neighbourhood spaces and opportunities for social connection, although changes vary across age, deprivation, and geography within each measure, with no consistent pattern observed across the indicators.

Taken together, the data highlights both the reach of funded community projects and persistent inequalities in access to supportive spaces, activities, and services. While projects cover a broad range of areas and population groups, there remain variations in the extent to which different populations can access opportunities that promote mental health and wellbeing, particularly for those living in more deprived areas, with disabilities, or from specific age and ethnic groups.