Scottish Climate Survey: main findings

• just under two thirds of vehicle owners (65%) participated in active travel, by choosing to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle at least some of the time. However, most respondents (63%) believed it was not common for people they knew to choose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle
• a large majority agreed that participating in active travel improved their physical and mental health (88% and 80% respectively)
• the use of transport sharing services was less common, with 33% saying they car shared with others from outside their household often or sometimes, and 14% that they used a formal transport sharing service
• under a quarter of respondents (23%) had been involved in decisions about transport in their local area in the past 12 months, most commonly by responding to an online public consultation or by contributing to a discussion online or on social media
• almost one in five (18%) said they would be willing to give up some of their time to be involved in decision making about transport locally. However, higher proportions felt that they were happy for others to make these decisions (43%) or that while they would like to have a say, spending time on this was not a priority for them (27%)

Active travel

Participation in active travel

The majority of respondents (72%) said they either owned, leased or had continuous use of a car or light van.

To understand how often vehicle owners prioritised active travel over using their car, these respondents were asked how often they chose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle to make journeys instead. As shown in Figure 6.1, almost two thirds (65%) said they did this at least sometimes, including a third (32%) who said they often or always did this. Seventeen per cent of vehicle owners reported they rarely chose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle instead, while a further 18% said they never do this.

Figure 6.1: Likelihood of active travel

Q. How often, if ever do you choose to leave your car at home and walk, wheel or cycle to make journeys instead?

Base: All who own a car or light van (3,327)

Those most likely than average to say they often or always chose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle instead included young people, graduates, those living in urban areas, those who know at least a fair amount about climate change and respondents without a disability (Figure 6.2).

Figure 6.2: Groups most likely to active travel

Q. How often, if ever do you choose to leave your car at home and walk, wheel or cycle to make journeys instead?

Base: All who own a car / light van (3,327)

Men were among those more likely to report they rarely or never chose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle instead (38%, compared to 32% of women).

Perceived benefits of active travel

Among those who chose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle at least some of the time[1], a large majority agreed this helped to improve their physical and mental health (88% and 80% respectively) (Figure 6.3).

Views were more divided on whether participation in active travel made respondents feel more connected to their community. While 42% agreed this was the case, 39% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 15% disagreed.

Figure 6.3: Benefits of active travel

Q. Walking, wheeling or cycling rather than using the car…

Base: All respondents who walk, wheel or cycle at least some of the time – physical health (2,713), mental health (2,693), connected to community (2,689)

Young people were more likely than older respondents to say that active travel improved their physical health (93% of those aged 16-34, compared to 86% of those aged 55 and over), and their mental health (87%, compared to 76% of those aged 55 and over).

Disabled respondents[2] were less likely than respondents without a disability to say that walking, wheeling or cycling improved their health – 82% said it improved their physical health (compared to 90% of those without a disability) and 75% said it improved their mental health (compared to 82%).

Perceptions of how often others choose active travel

To understand their perceptions of others’ likelihood to choose active travel options, respondents were asked how common it was for people they know who owned or leased a car to choose to leave the car at home and walk, wheel or cycle to make journeys instead. Most (63%) said this was not common among people they knew, while one in five (21%) said it was very or fairly common. Sixteen per cent said they did not know (Figure 6.4).

Figure 6.4: Perceived likelihood of active travel among others

Q. How common is it for [people you know who own or lease a car] to choose to leave the car at home and walk, wheel or cycle to make journeys instead?

Base: All respondents online (2,953)

Those who said it was common for people they know to leave the car at home and choose active travel instead were almost twice as likely also to say that they did this themselves, compared with those who said it was uncommon. Among those who said they always or often left their car at home and chose to walk, wheel or cycle instead, half (50%) said it was common for people they knew to do this, while 28% said it was not common. Conversely, among those who rarely or never chose to active travel, 40% said active travel was uncommon among people they knew, compared to 17% who said it was common.

Young people aged 16-34, graduates and those in urban areas were more likely than average to say it was common for people they knew to choose active travel over using their car (29%, 25% and 23% respectively, compared to 21% overall).  Those who talked to other people about climate change on at least a weekly basis were also more likely than average to say it was common for people they knew to leave their car at home and choose active travel instead (27%, compared to 21%).

Car sharing

All respondents were asked about their use of different types of car sharing services. Overall, most did not use these services regularly – whether informal arrangements (e.g. sharing a car with people outside their household or using shared transport services) or more formal sharing services (e.g. car clubs, bike share schemes, public e-scooter hire services or lift-sharing services).

Informal car sharing

One in three respondents (33%) said they often or sometimes car shared with people outside their household (e.g. friends, neighbours or work colleagues) to reduce the number of cars used for all or part of a journey. Almost half (46%) never did this (Figure 6.5).

Figure 6.5: Use of informal car sharing arrangements

Q. Thinking about how you typically travel, how often do you: car share with people outside your household to reduce the number of cars used for all or part of a journey?

Base: All respondents (4,041)

Women (37%, compared to 28% of men) and young people (41% of 16-34 year olds, compared to 30% of those aged 35 and over), were more likely to say they took part in this type of car sharing.

Those who said they rarely or never car shared with others included men (70%, compared to 62% of women), respondents in rural areas (69%, compared to 65% in urban areas), higher income households (69% of those with household incomes of £52,000 and above, compared to 64% of households with an income lower than £52,000) and respondents aged 35 and over (69%, compared to 58% aged 16-34).

Among those who rarely or never car shared with people outside their household, the main reasons given were that they were not travelling to the same places at the same times (41%), they had no friends, family or work colleagues nearby (36%), and they preferred to use public transport (24%) (Figure 6.6).

Figure 6.6: Barriers to informal car sharing

Q. You said that you rarely/never car share with friends, neighbours or work colleagues... What is the main reason(s) for this?

Base: All who rarely/never car share (informal) (2,696)

Respondents in rural areas were more likely than those in urban areas to say they were not travelling to the same places at the same time (52%, compared to 38%), that they had no-one nearby to share with (41%, compared to 35%), and that car sharing was inconvenient or awkward to arrange (26%, compared to 18%).

Formal transport sharing services

The use of formal shared transport services, such as a car club, bike share scheme, public e-scooter hire service or lift-sharing service, was less common still. Only 14% said they often or sometimes used these services, with three quarters (75%) saying they never used them (Figure 6.7).

Figure 6.7: Use of formal transport services

Q. Thinking about how you typically travel, how often do you: use a formal shared transport service, e.g. a car club, bike share scheme, public e-scooter hire service or lift-sharing service?

Base: All respondents (4,016)

The groups more likely than average to use formal shared transport services included young people aged 16 to 34, respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds, lower income households, women and those living in urban areas (Figure 6.8).

Figure 6.8: Groups more likely to use formal transport services

Q. Thinking about how you typically travel, how often do you: use a formal shared transport service, e.g. a car club, bike share scheme, public e-scooter hire service or lift-sharing service?

Base: All respondents (4,016)

The main reasons respondents gave for rarely or never using formal shared transport services were that they were not aware of any services nearby (37%), they felt they did not need to use these services (34%), and they preferred using public transport (27%) (Figure 6.9).

Figure 6.9: Barriers to formal transport sharing

Q. You said that you rarely/never use a formal shared transport service… What is the main reason(s) for this?

Base: All who rarely/never car share (formal) (3,503)

Again, challenges related to location impacted on the ability to use shared transport services – 89% of those in rural areas said they rarely or never used formal transport services (compared to 82% in urban areas). Rural residents were more likely to say they were not aware of any such services near them (49%, compared to 34% in urban areas), while those living in urban areas were more likely to say they preferred to use public transport (31%, compared to 11% in rural areas).

Local decision making about transport

To explore people’s interest in being involved in local transport decision making, respondents were asked three questions about this in their local area.

Involvement in local decision making about transport

Less than one in five (18%) said they would be willing to give up their time to be involved in making decisions about transport in their local area, while just over a quarter (27%) said that they would like to have a say in decisions about transport in my local area, but spending time on it was not a priority for them. A higher proportion (43%) were happy for other people to make decisions about transport without being personally involved themselves (Figure 6.10).

Figure 6.10: Willingness to be involved in local decision making about transport

Q. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?

Base: All respondents (4,039)

As shown in Figure 6.11, those more likely than average to say they were willing to give up their time to be involved in decision making about local transport issues included respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds, graduates, those who know at least a fair amount about climate change, those aged under 55 and those living in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5).

Figure 6.11: Groups more willing to be involved in local decision making about transport

% willing to give up time to be involved in making decisions about transport

Base: All respondents (4,039)

Around a quarter (23%) of respondents said they had been involved in decisions about transport in their local area in the past 12 months. The most common way of doing so was online, either by responding to an online public consultation about local transport issues or by contributing to a discussion online or on social media about local transport issues (12% and 9% respectively). Smaller proportions had contacted their local councillor, MSP or MP (6%) or attended a public meeting or event (5%) (Figure 6.12).

Figure 6.12: Involvement in local decision making about transport in the last 12 months

Q. Have you personally done any of the following in the past 12 months?

Base: All respondents (4,066)

Those aged under 70 were more likely than older respondents to have been involved in decision making about local transport issues online: 14% had responded to an online public consultation (compared to 5% of those aged 70 and over) and 10% had contributed to a discussion online (compared to 3% of those aged 70 and over). Young people aged 16 to 34 were a little more likely to say they had taken part in a campaign about local transport issues (4%, compared to 2% of older respondents) or a demonstration, picket or march (3%, compared to 1%).

Barriers to involvement

The main perceived barrier to being involved in local transport decision making was a lack of awareness of opportunities to do so, cited by four in ten respondents (42%). Around half as many said they needed more information (19%) or did not have the time (19%), while 15% said they were not interested (Figure 6.13).

Figure 6.13: Barriers to involvement in local decision making about transport

Q. What, if anything, stops you from having your say in decisions about transport in your local area?

Base: All respondents online only (2,953)

Young people aged 16 to 34 (20%), men (19%), non-graduates (19%) and those who knew little or nothing about climate change (18%) were more likely than average to say they were not interested in being involved in local transport decision making (compared to 15% overall).

Those aged under 55 were more likely than older respondents to say that they did not have the time (24%, compared to 9%) or that opportunities to have their say did not take place at a convenient time (11%, compared to 4%).

Respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds (25%), graduates (23%) and those with at least a fair amount of knowledge about climate change (21%) were more likely than average to say they needed more information about opportunities to have their say (compared to 19% overall).

Retirees (47%), graduates (46%), and those with at least a fair amount of knowledge about climate change (45%) were more likely than average to say they were not aware of any opportunities (compared to 42% overall).

 

[1] Among all vehicle owners, 71% said active travel helped improve their physical health, 64% said it improved their physical health, and 34% said it made them feel more connected to their community.

[2] Respondents with a physical or mental health condition or illness lasting, or expected to last, 12 months or more.