Survey nonresponse research: appendices

Appendix F: The Scottish Government general population surveys

At the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach to evidence-based policy making are its flagship surveys (all of which have National Statistics, or Accredited Official Statistics^[26], status). These include three cross-sectional general population surveys and the Growing-up in Scotland survey, which is a longitudinal survey of families with children. The focus of this research was on the three cross-sectional general population surveys, all of which are currently conducted primarily face-to-face.

The data from these three surveys underpin numerous outcome and performance monitoring frameworks such as the Scottish Government National Performance Framework and Single Outcome Agreements between the Scottish Government and local authorities. The Scottish Government relies on data from these surveys for major regular analytical outputs, as do other public sector bodies such as National Records of Scotland, NHS Health Scotland, Local Authorities and a range of other stakeholders.

The three surveys are Accredited Official Statistics products, produced to the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics with compliance monitored by the UK Statistics Authority.

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS)

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) was established in 1998. The survey covers a wide range of topics (including transport, household income, participation in culture and sport, volunteering, and many others.). Its central purpose is to provide robust evidence on the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of households and individuals.

The SHS incorporates both a household interview (with a ‘household reference person’ who can provide answers for the household as a whole – for example, around tenure, who lives in the household, total household income, etc.) and an individual interview with a randomly selected adult, who answers questions about their individual attitudes and behaviours (including a retrospective travel diary, covering their travel patterns on the previous day).

The SHS interviews around 10,500 households each year. More information can be found on the Scottish Government SHS webpages.

Since 2012, The SHS has incorporated the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS). This involves physical inspections of a sub-sample of around 3,000 dwellings by a team of qualified surveyors to measure the condition and energy efficiency of the housing stock in Scotland, providing the data that underpins Scotland’s national fuel poverty estimates among other things. The first SHCS was undertaken in 1991.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS)

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) can trace its origins as far back as 1982 to the first sweep of the British Crime Survey. The first Scottish Crime Survey was undertaken in 1994 and since then, the survey has undergone a number of design and name changes.

The SCJS provides key information on victimisation rates, the impact of victimisation and fear of crime. Crucially, it provides an independent measure of crimes that may not be reported to the police providing important data to be read alongside police recorded time statistics. A self-completion section (collected during the interview, with interviewers passing their device to the respondent to complete particular questions) collects information on particularly sensitive crimes (such as partner abuse or sexual crimes).

Data from the SCJS is used to evaluate measures in place to reduce crime, assess the performance of policing and criminal justice organisations, and to provide evidence for use in targeting resources.

Around 5,500 adults in Scotland take part in the SCJS each year. More information can be found on the Scottish Government SCJS webpages.

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS)

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) was first run in 1995, and since 2008 has been conducted annually. It provides reliable information on health and factors related to health and how these change over time.

The survey consists of a number of main questions and measurements (such as height and weight), plus questions on selected topics such as general health, mental health, dental health, smoking, drinking, diet, physical activity and cardiovascular disease. A sub-sample of respondents are asked to take part in a biological measures (biomeasures) module, where additional data (e.g. blood pressure and cotinine levels^[27] in saliva) is also collected by specially trained interviewers. The study also includes self-completion elements (for adults and children), currently collected using paper questionnaires, and an online dietary diary (every three years).

A target of around 5,000 adult and 2,000 children take part in SHeS each year. More information can be found on the Scottish Government SHeS webpages.