Scottish Surveys Core Questions (SSCQ): Code of Practice compliance

2. Annual statistical work programme 2026/27

2.1 Overview

This work programme sets out our planned statistical outputs and development work for the financial year April 2026 to March 2027. 

It has been informed by: 

• Evidence gathered through user engagement (including our SSCQ user survey) 
• Ongoing interaction with known stakeholders and exploratory work to better understand SSCQ users, potential users and their uses 
• Consideration of available resources, feasibility and public value 

We aim to prioritise work that maximises public value while remaining transparent about constraints and proportionality, in line with the Code of Practice 3.0.  While the SSCQ has the potential to provide valuable insights, evidence from ongoing review work suggests it is currently underused and its purpose is not always clearly understood. The SSCQ review programme aims to address these challenges. 

2.2 Planned outputs

The Survey Strategy and Coordination team will deliver the following SSCQ outputs during 2026–27: 

Annual Official Statistics publication:

• Scottish Surveys Core Questions (SSCQ) 2025 
• Data tables  
• Detailed technical report 

Ad hoc analysis:

• Provided where feasible and proportionate to support policy development, research and wider analytical needs.  
• In line with the principles of intelligent transparency, as embedded in Code of Practice 3.0, all ad hoc analysis is published and made accessible to users, ensuring equality of access and supporting understanding of how SSCQ data are used. 

Publication dates are pre-announced and published in the Scottish Government Official Statistics: forthcoming publications calendar, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. 

2.3 Statistical development work

SSCQ review (multi-year programme)

The SSCQ is currently undergoing a phased review to ensure it remains relevant, accessible and methodologically robust. 

This is a multi-year programme and activity in 2026-27 represents the initial phase.

User and use review (2026–27 – evidence gathering phase)

During 2026–27, the team has undertaken a user survey to begin developing a clearer understanding of: 

• Who uses SSCQ data 
• How the data is used 
• Awareness and accessibility of SSCQ 
• Barriers to use 
• Unmet user needs 

This work was supported by a targeted communications campaign across: 

• Scottish Government analysts and policy teams 
• Local councils and public bodies 
• Academia 
• Third sector organisations 
• Existing and potential users 

Next steps (2026–27): 

• Analyse survey findings 
• Develop a clearer understanding of SSCQ users and uses 
• Use evidence to define priorities for future development 

This phase is exploratory and no immediate changes to SSCQ outputs will be made until findings have been assessed. 

Methodology review (scoping phase in 2026–27) 

A second strand of the review will focus on SSCQ methodology, including: 

• Consistency across surveys 
• Weighting and calibration 
• Data processing and quality assurance 

During 2026–27, work will focus on: 

• Investigating known and potential methodological issues 
• Developing a methodology review plan 
• Establishing potential governance arrangements (e.g. expert input/peer review) 

This includes known and potential issues relating to consistency across surveys, treatment of responses, weighting and calibration approaches, and comparability of outputs. 

The main delivery phase of methodological work is expected to take place from 2027–28 onwards, reflecting: 

• The complexity of the issues 
• The need for robust evidence and stakeholder input 

The SSCQ review programme is a key mechanism for continuous improvement, informing enhancements to both methodology and production processes and strengthening confidence in the resulting statistics.

2.4 Technical development work

In parallel, the team contributes to wider Scottish Government developments including: 

• Transition to cloud-based analytical environments 
• Increased use of open-source tools 
• Improvements to reproducibility and transparency of analytical pipelines

2.5 Prioritisation and transparency

Our work programme reflects: 

• Available evidence on user needs, including findings from ongoing engagement and exploratory work to better understand SSCQ users and potential users 
• The feasibility of delivery within available resources 
• The need to balance maintaining regular outputs with development activity 

Where changes to outputs are considered (e.g. reducing or discontinuing outputs), we will: 

• Make decisions based on public value 
• Clearly explain the rationale to users