Scotland's People Annual Report: Results from 2012 Scottish Household Survey

A National Statistics publication for Scotland, providing reliable and up-to-date information on the composition, characteristics, behaviour and attitudes of Scottish households and adults across a number of topic areas including local government, neighbourhoods and transport.


7 Education and Young People

Introduction and Context

Ensuring that everyone in Scotland has equal access to learning opportunities to achieve their full potential and increase skill levels across the population is a key part of achieving the Scottish Government's purpose:[55] To focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. This is captured through one of the five strategic objectives:[56] Expand opportunities for people in Scotland to succeed from nurture through to life long learning ensuring higher and more widely shared achievements.

Although the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) is not the definitive source of information about education and qualifications in Scotland[57], it can contribute to the measurement of key education indicators. Education level is also an important factor that can be used in the wider analysis of the Survey's data, for example to explore differences in people's characteristics and attitudes by educational attainment.

This chapter starts with an overview of educational qualifications achieved across the population as a whole and across key sub groups. Analysis is then presented on the types of play areas available for children to play in, along with measures on perceptions of adults on how safe it is for children to play there. Finally, this chapter looks at the types of activities young people engage in within their local area.

It should be noted that the SHS 2011 Annual Report presented information on parents satisfaction with schooling. The relevant questions were dropped from the SHS from January 2012, though some comparative results are available in the Local Services chapter.

Main Findings

  • One-fifth (21%) of adults have no qualifications, with relatively little difference between males and females, though those with no qualifications are more likely to have lower incomes.
  • Almost nine-in-ten households (88%) with young children have access to some form of play areas within their neighbourhood. Over half have access to a park (57%), whilst around half have access to either a playground (52%) or field or other open space (49%).
  • Generally, those households with young children within rural areas are more likely to say children would be very safe or fairly safe when walking or cycling to play areas on their own, ranging from around three-fifths for most play areas in urban areas to around four-fifths in rural areas.
  • Most householders with young children would feel comfortable with children being aged around 9 or 10 years old to play without supervision at such play areas. This increases to closer to 11 years old when playing within a natural environment or wooded area for those living in urban areas.
  • Just less than three-quarters (73%) of young people aged 8 to 21 take part in some of activities regularly, with the majority of young people (53%) taking part in sports or sporting activity whether played competitively or not.

Highest Qualification level

Table 7.1 and Table 7.2 present the proportions of people who attained qualifications by gender, age and, for those of working age, by household income. Respondents to the SHS are asked about a wide variety of qualifications and these have been condensed into the categories presented in the tables.

Table 7.1: Highest level of qualification held by gender and age

Column percentages, 2012 data

Adults Male Female 16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 to 74 75 plus All
Degree, Professional qualification 26 28 13 40 33 30 23 15 27
HNC/HND or equivalent 11 10 9 15 15 11 6 3 10
Higher, A level or equivalent 19 16 35 18 17 15 12 7 17
O Grade, Standard Grade or equivalent 20 19 35 18 21 21 11 6 19
Other qualification 3 5 1 1 1 2 10 14 4
No qualifications 21 22 6 8 12 20 38 54 21
Qualification unknown 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Base 4,410 5,490 780 1,380 1,550 2,460 2,440 1,290 9,890

One-fifth (21%) of all adults had none of the qualifications presented. Of these, by far the highest proportion was in the 75 and over age group, with over half (54%) having no qualifications There was little difference between men and women on the highest level of qualifications they held.

Established links between degree level qualifications and higher incomes can be seen among working adults interviewed as part of the SHS (Table 7.2). Less than one-in-five of those in the lowest income brackets (up to £15,000) have a degree or professional qualification compared with half of the working age respondents with the highest incomes (51% for those with incomes above £40,000). Additionally, those of working age in the highest income brackets were considerably less likely to have no qualifications (3%). Around a quarter of adults with a household income of less than £15,000 had no qualifications.

Table 7.2: Highest level of qualifications held by adults of working age by net annual household income

Column percentages, 2012 data

Working age adults (16-64) £0 - £6,000 £6,001 - £10,000 £10,001 - £15,000 £15,001 - £20,000 £20,001 - £25,000 £25,001 - £30,000 £30,001 - £40,000 £40,001+ All
Degree, Professional qualification 19 12 14 21 23 23 34 51 29
HNC/HND or equivalent 9 8 9 10 12 14 12 14 12
Higher, A level or equivalent 27 17 18 17 20 22 21 18 19
O Grade, Standard Grade or equivalent 20 29 28 29 25 22 22 14 23
Other qualification 2 4 2 2 3 1 1 0 2
No qualifications 20 30 27 21 15 16 8 3 14
Qualification unknown 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Base 200 600 1,010 990 920 760 1,060 1,300 6,830

Household income in the SHS is that of the highest income householder and their partner only. Includes all adults for whom household income is known or has been imputed. Excludes refusals/don't know responses.

Opportunities for children to play

At the start of 2009, a series of questions on the opportunities for children to play in their neighbourhood was added to the SHS to measure progress on the Early Years Framework.[58] A key element of this framework is in improving the physical and social environment for children, with an emphasis on play. The set of questions was previously asked in one of two ways: if there was a child aged between 6 and 12 years, the questions were set in the context of one of the children in the household; otherwise, when there were no children in the household the questions were asked in more general terms. From January 2012, this was changed so that the questions were only asked if where there was a child aged 6 to 12 in the household. This means that results will not be comparable with previous years, as households with children will likely be more knowledgeable of opportunities for children to play in their neighbourhood, so estimates should be higher.

Table 7.3 shows that just under nine-in-ten households with children aged 6 to 12 have access to play areas within their neighbourhood. More than a half (57%) have access to a park, whilst 52% can access a playground and 49% a field or other open space. There are some differences based on the level of deprivation. In particular, of those households within the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland only 20% say there is a natural environment or wooded area in their neighbourhood, as compared to almost half of households (47%) in the rest of Scotland.

There is evidence of greater variation in access to play areas for children when considering the level of rurality. As expected, a higher proportion of households in rural areas have access to either fields and natural environment or wooded areas than urban areas. Those from the large urban areas have the lowest proportion of households being able to access children play areas, other than parks (58%). Over one-in-ten (12%) households with young children say they have access to no play areas, particularly in large urban (15%) and other urban (13%) areas.

Table 7.3: Types of children play areas available in the neighbourhood by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 42 52 66 64 63 58 52
Park 58 53 70 74 56 50 57
Football or other games pitch 32 42 62 64 51 61 44
Field or other open space 34 47 65 56 63 83 49
School playground 24 38 39 47 35 40 34
Natural environment / wooded area 28 39 55 53 61 78 43
Access to at least one play area 85 86 93 94 91 95 88
Access to none 15 13 7 6 9 5 12
Base 420 410 140 70 140 150 1,330

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 42 54 52
Park 51 59 57
Football or other games pitch 36 45 44
Field or other open space 34 52 49
School playground 21 36 34
Natural environment / wooded area 20 47 43
Access to at least one play area 81 89 88
Access to none 19 10 12
Base 220 1,100 1,330

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Generally, those households within rural areas are more likely to say children would be very safe or fairly safe when walking or cycling to play areas on their own (Table 7.4), ranging from around three-fifths for most play areas in urban areas to around four-fifths in rural areas.

There are also marked differences in feeling of safety when looking at deprivation. Those in the least deprived areas of Scotland are more likely to say it is safer for children to travel on their own to such play areas than those in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland.

Table 7.4: How safe it would be for children to walk or cycle to play areas on their own by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 54 69 68 * 81 77 67
Park 44 59 71 * 76 79 59
Football or other games pitch 52 52 64 * 73 79 60
Field or other open space 58 57 61 * 76 81 64
School playground 58 59 67 * 82 74 65
Natural environment / wooded area 34 32 39 * 61 67 44
Street/Road 50 59 62 55 63 58 56
Base (minimum) 100 160 60 30 50 50 450

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 51 70 67
Park 43 62 59
Football or other games pitch 48 62 60
Field or other open space 44 66 64
School playground * 66 65
Natural environment / wooded area * 47 44
Street/Road 43 59 56
Base (minimum) 50 400 450

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Table 7.5 shows similar patterns of variation when considering how safe it would be for children to go to play areas with two or three friends to play. Again, those in rural areas are generally more likely to say they think children would be safer than those living in urban areas. Intuitively, the overall feeling of safety for each type of play area are higher when going with two or three friends than they are when children travel alone. There is little difference in feelings of safety when considering the streets around the respondent's home.

Table 7.5: How safe it would be for children to go to play areas with 2 or 3 friends by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 61 75 72 * 85 82 73
Park 54 69 74 * 85 85 67
Football or other games pitch 61 62 71 * 83 86 69
Field or other open space 63 66 63 * 84 86 70
School playground 61 64 70 * 91 79 70
Natural environment / wooded area 35 41 45 * 67 72 50
Street/Road 53 62 65 60 65 60 59
Base (minimum) 100 160 60 30 50 50 450

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 60 75 73
Park 53 70 67
Football or other games pitch 61 70 69
Field or other open space 54 72 70
School playground * 71 70
Natural environment / wooded area * 53 50
Street/Road 48 61 59
Base (minimum) 50 400 450

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Householders concerns of children being bullied or harmed by other children while playing in play areas show little variation across the different types of play areas (Table 7.6), though the lowest proportion of those with a concern over bullying by other children are for those playing within the streets around the respondent's home (28%). The next lowest is within fields and other open spaces and school playgrounds, which may be associated with a greater likelihood of supervision by adults.

As before, there are marked differences when looking at impacts or rurality and deprivation. Those from rural areas are less concerned about bullying by other children (less than one third across all play areas) as compared to those from urban areas (for example, 56% of households in large urban areas would be concerned with bullying if children played in natural environment and wooded areas).

There is less concern amongst householders of children being harmed by adults whilst playing in play areas (Table 7.7), though those saying they are very or fairly concerned are still high at around one third or higher within each play area. The greatest concern of safety is related to those playing within a natural environment or wooded area (46%). In particular, those from the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland are much more likely to be concerned about the safety of children in coming to harm by.

Table 7.6: Concern of bullying by children in play areas by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 53 45 39 * 18 28 41
Park 54 45 37 * 19 26 43
Football or other games pitch 52 45 43 * 22 21 40
Field or other open space 48 43 34 * 20 19 36
School playground 41 44 32 * 15 16 36
Natural environment / wooded area 56 47 33 * 25 18 40
Street/Road 27 36 30 18 11 21 28
Base (minimum) 100 160 60 30 50 50 450

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 68 37 41
Park 60 40 43
Football or other games pitch 56 37 40
Field or other open space 60 33 36
School playground * 32 36
Natural environment / wooded area * 37 40
Street/Road 42 24 28
Base (minimum) 50 400 450

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Table 7.7: Concern of children being harmed by adults in play areas by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 49 41 32 * 25 23 38
Park 49 43 28 * 18 20 39
Football or other games pitch 45 44 33 * 18 20 36
Field or other open space 47 44 32 * 19 20 35
School playground 36 39 24 * 12 16 30
Natural environment / wooded area 61 56 42 * 30 27 46
Street/Road 26 33 27 21 16 24 27
Base (minimum) 100 160 60 30 50 50 450

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 51 36 38
Park 55 36 39
Football or other games pitch 48 34 36
Field or other open space 53 33 35
School playground * 28 30
Natural environment / wooded area * 43 46
Street/Road 38 24 27
Base (minimum) 50 400 450

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Table 7.8 shows the median age at which households believe the youngest age should be when it would be safe for a child to play in each of the different play areas without supervision. As can be seen, most would feel comfortable with children being aged around 9 or 10 years old to play without supervision at such play areas. This increases to around 11 years old when playing within a natural environment or wooded area.

Table 7.8: Youngest age at which it would be safe for a child to play without supervision by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and Urban Rural Classification

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Playground 10.1 9.0 9.1 * 8.6 9.0 9.3
Park 10.5 9.1 9.2 * 8.7 9.0 9.6
Football or other games pitch 10.4 9.3 9.3 * 9.0 9.2 9.5
Field or other open space 10.2 9.2 9.1 * 9.0 8.9 9.4
School playground 10.1 9.4 9.1 * 9.1 9.2 9.4
Natural environment / wooded area 11.3 11.0 10.3 * 9.8 9.5 10.5
Street/Road 8.9 8.5 7.9 8.8 8.6 8.3 8.6
Base (minimum) 90 140 50 30 50 50 660

Households containing children aged 6 to 12 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Playground 9.8 9.2 9.3
Park 10.3 9.4 9.6
Football or other games pitch 10.2 9.4 9.5
Field or other open space 10.6 9.2 9.4
School playground * 9.3 9.4
Natural environment / wooded area * 10.3 10.5
Street/Road 9.1 8.5 8.6
Base (minimum) 40 380 660

Mean age presented

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

Those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland believe children should be slightly older before being allowed to play unsupervised. Similarly, those living in rural areas believe children can be slightly younger before being allowed to play unsupervised.

Participation in activities

The Scottish Government is interested in the extent to which young adults and children are involved in a range of activities. Those households for which there is someone aged between 8 and 21 are asked a series of questions within the SHS on whether they take part in a series of activities regularly. A fuller description of the activities are provided in the Glossary in Annex 2.

Table 7.9 shows that the majority of young people (53%) take part in sports or sporting activity whether played competitively or not. One quarter (26%) take part in music or drama activities (such playing in a band or a theatre group). Three per cent of young people are involved representing young people's views or involvement in youth politics while four per cent are involved in mentoring or peer education.

Table 7.9: Activities young people aged 8 to 21 take part in by Urban Rural Classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Percentages, 2012 data

Households containing anyone aged 8 to 21 Large urban areas Other urban areas Accessible small towns Remote small towns Accessible rural Remote rural Scotland
Music or drama activities 27 22 26 38 26 33 26
Other arts activities 6 7 6 6 8 10 7
Sports or sporting activity 52 49 58 63 57 63 53
Other outdoor activities 16 17 21 25 26 41 20
Other groups or clubs 22 20 30 32 28 33 24
Representing young people's views 2 3 2 0 3 8 3
Mentoring or peer education 3 3 4 5 5 11 4
None 28 32 24 21 24 12 27
Base 770 730 230 120 280 260 2,390

Households containing anyone aged 8 to 21 15% most deprived Rest of Scotland Scotland
Music or drama activities 22 27 26
Other arts activities 4 7 7
Sports or sporting activity 42 56 53
Other outdoor activities 16 21 20
Other groups or clubs 20 25 24
Representing young people's views 2 3 3
Mentoring or peer education 2 5 4
None 34 26 27
Base 350 2,040 2,390

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

There are clear patterns in those not taking part in any of the activities within deprivation (34% in the 15% most deprived compared to 26% in the least deprived areas) and through the Urban Rural Classification (from around a quarter in urban areas down to 12% in remote rural areas). Those in remote rural areas are most likely to take part in other outdoor activities (34%) which may reflect more informal and independent activities.

Participation in any of the activities is lower for those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland: most notably, 42% regularly take part in sporting activities compared to 56% in the least deprived areas, with similar differences in those undertaking music or drama activities (22% and 27% respectively).

Contact

Email: Nic Krzyzanowski

Back to top