Student funding in further education
Research into the financial behaviour of further education students in Scotland, exploring demand for and potential impact of student loans amongst this group.
Annex E: Profile of focus group participants
Table E‑1: Home area
| College | Number of focus group participants | % of focus group participants |
|---|---|---|
| Ayrshire College | 27 | 16% |
| Borders College | 2 | 1% |
| Dumfries and Galloway College | 5 | 3% |
| Fife College | 9 | 5% |
| Forth Valley College | 20 | 12% |
| Glasgow Kelvin College | 6 | 4% |
| Glasgow Clyde College | 7 | 4% |
| City of Glasgow College | 19 | 11% |
| Argyll College UHI | 8 | 5% |
| South Lanarkshire College | 12 | 7% |
| New College Lanarkshire | 10 | 6% |
| Dundee and Angus College | 11 | 7% |
| West College Scotland | 26 | 15% |
| West Lothian College | 7 | 4% |
| Total: | 169 | 100% |
Source: Equality and Diversity Monitoring Forms
Base: 169
Table E‑2: Demographics
| Number of focus group participants | % of focus group participants | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| 15 – 17 years | 31 | 19% | |
| 18 – 25 years | 70 | 42% | |
| 26 – 35 years | 30 | 18% | |
| 36 – 45 years | 24 | 14% | |
| 46 – 55 years | 6 | 4% | |
| 56 – 64 years | 4 | 2% | |
| 65+ | 1 | 1% | |
| Total: | 166 | 100% | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 70 | 42% | |
| Female | 88 | 52% | |
| Transgender | 6 | 4% | |
| Other | 4 | 2% | |
| Total: | 168 | 100% | |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White – British/ English/ Scottish/ Welsh/ Northern Irish | 152 | 91% | |
| Asian – British/ English/ Scottish/ Welsh/ Northern Irish | 3 | 2% | |
| African | 1 | 1% | |
| Arab | 1 | 1% | |
| Mixed – White & Black African | 1 | 1% | |
| White – Gypsy/Roma/Irish Traveller | 1 | 1% | |
| Other | 7 | 4% | |
| Prefer not to say | 1 | 1% | |
| Total: | 167 | 100% | |
| Faith / Belief | |||
| No religion | 111 | 67% | |
| Christianity | 37 | 22% | |
| Islam | 4 | 2% | |
| Buddhism | 1 | 1% | |
| Sikhism | 1 | 1% | |
| Other | 6 | 4% | |
| Prefer not to say | 6 | 4% | |
| Total: | 166 | 101%* | |
| Disability** | |||
| None of the above | 88 | 56% | |
| Mental health condition | 26 | 17% | |
| Learning and concentration | 24 | 15% | |
| Social or behavioural impairment | 13 | 8% | |
| Stamina, breathing or fatigue | 10 | 6% | |
| Mobility impairment | 10 | 6% | |
| Hearing impairment | 8 | 5% | |
| Dexterity | 6 | 4% | |
| Vision impairment | 5 | 3% | |
| Other | 8 | 5% | |
| Total: | 198 | ||
| Sexuality | |||
| Heterosexual | 137 | 83% | |
| Bisexual | 12 | 7% | |
| Gay | 8 | 5% | |
| Lesbian | 1 | 1% | |
| Other | 4 | 2% | |
| Prefer not to say | 4 | 2% | |
| Total: | 166 | 100% | |
| Parents | |||
| No | 115 | 70% | |
| Yes | 49 | 29% | |
| Prefer not to say | 1 | 1% | |
| Total: | 165 | 100% | |
| Lone Parents | |||
| No | 132 | 80% | |
| Yes | 31 | 19% | |
| Prefer not to say | 1 | 1% | |
| Total: | 164 | 100% | |
| Care-experienced | |||
| No | 154 | 93% | |
| Yes | 12 | 7% | |
| Total: | 166 | 100% | |
| Caring Responsibilities | |||
| No | 128 | 77% | |
| Yes | 34 | 20% | |
| Prefer not to say | 4 | 2% | |
| Total: | 166 | 99% | |
Source: Equality and Diversity Monitoring Forms
Base: Age (166); Gender (168); Ethnicity (167); Faith/Belief (166); Disability (198); Sexuality (166);
Parents (165); Lone parents (164); Care-experienced (166); Caring responsibilities (166)
*% may not add due to rounding
** Participants could identify as having more than one disability
Table E‑3: Education characteristics
| Number of focus group participants | % of focus group participants | |
|---|---|---|
| Course Length | ||
| Full Time | 154 | 93% |
| Part Time | 12 | 7% |
| Total: | 166 | 100% |
| Course Level | ||
| SCQF Level 6 or below | 133 | 85% |
| HNC/HND | 16 | 10% |
| Other | 7 | 5% |
| Total: | 156 | 100% |
Source: Equality and Diversity Monitoring Forms
Base: Course length (166); (Course level (156)
Table E‑4: Finance Profile
| Number of focus group participants | % of focus group participants | |
|---|---|---|
| Sources of Income | ||
| Parents | 52 | 31% |
| Partner | 31 | 18% |
| Other Family Members | 21 | 12% |
| Employment | 52 | 31% |
| Savings | 40 | 24% |
| Benefits | 42 | 25% |
| Bursary | 81 | 48% |
| Other | 27 | 16% |
| Total: | 346 | |
| Sources of Debt | ||
| High street bank | 42 | 25% |
| Building society loans | 5 | 3% |
| Payday Loans | 4 | 2% |
| Credit Cards/Cards | 54 | 32% |
| Mortgages | 13 | 8% |
| Online shopping accounts | 39 | 23% |
| Overdrafts | 43 | 25% |
| Other | 33 | 20% |
| Total: | 233 | |
Source: Focus Group Task2 Output
Base: 169
Participants could choose more than one option
Table E‑5: Likelihood of uptake of student loans from focus group participants
| Very Unlikely | Unlikely | Don't know / Not sure | Likely | Very Likely | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 9 | 30 | 18 | 31 | 115 |
| 23% | 8% | 26% | 16% | 27% | 100% |
Source: Focus Group Task3 Output
Base: 115 (2 focus groups did not complete the exercise)
Contact
Email: fraser.syme@gov.scot
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