Scottish Surveys Core Questions 2023
Information on the composition, characteristics and attitudes of Scottish households and adults across a number of topic areas.
1.9 Presentation of Data on Veteran Status
This is the second time data on veteran status has been published as part of the SSCQ. Respondents were asked “Have you previously served in the UK Armed Forces?”, and the response options were presented as follows:
- No
- Yes, previously served in regular Armed Forces
- Yes, previously served in reserve Armed Forces
Current serving members were instructed to select the “No” option.
As with other questions, respondents could choose to answer “don’t know” or refuse to answer. For the SSCQ, both “Yes” response options were combined into a single “Yes” category.
As this question has only been included twice in the SSCQ, it is not possible to provide comparisons or trends over time.
Caution should be taken when comparing the veteran data with the wider population. A recent report from Scottish Government's Safer Communities Analysis Unit found that there are substantial differences between Scotland’s veteran and non-veteran population.
Given it is the second time the SSCQ is reporting on veteran status, we treat the data as “Official Statistics in Development” and welcome user feedback on how to improve the reporting of this information.