Access to free period products: baseline survey results

Introduction

This report provides an overview of findings from a quantitative online survey exploring the attitudes and experiences of people who may use period products (aged 12 years and over). The survey sought to help assess any potential impact that the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 (the Act) may have on attitudes and experiences of people accessing free period products. The data collection for this baseline survey was completed before the commencement of the Act on 15 August 2022.

This survey contributes to the wider monitoring and evaluation strategy on access to free period products^[1]. The key objectives of the monitoring and evaluation strategy are to:

• Inform Scottish Government funding allocations to local authorities and education providers to ensure proportionate funding to support current uptake and costs.
• Inform understanding of current delivery, including reach, uptake, costs and accessibility.
• Inform future delivery of the policy, including through the identification of 'best practice'.

Background

Local authorities have been providing access to free period products within primary and secondary schools since August 2018 and in public buildings since January 2019.

The Act gained Royal Assent in January 2021 and came into force from 15 August 2022. It places a duty on local authorities and education providers to provide access to free period products for all those who need them, without a means-tested approach. The Act sets out that period products must be obtainable (i) reasonably easily, (ii) in a way that that reflects the dignity of persons obtaining them and (iii) offer a reasonable choice of period products. The wider policy aim is to: support equality, dignity and rights for those who menstruate; and, to ensure that lack of access to period products does not impact on an individual's ability to fully participate in day-to-day activities, including work and education at all levels.

Since 2017, the Scottish Government has invested a total of over £33 million to fund access to free period products across a range of settings including schools, colleges and universities, wider public spaces and targeted access through community groups for those on low incomes. For 2022/23, the Scottish Government is providing almost £3.4 million for access to free period products for students at school, college or university and almost £2.8 million per year to Local Authorities to provide wider access to period products across Scotland.

The survey, and associated findings, detailed in this report provide a baseline as to attitudes, knowledge and experience of free period products prior to the Act coming into force. This is part of a wider monitoring and evaluation strategy.

Aims and objectives

The aim of the survey was to provide a baseline of attitudes, knowledge and experiences towards free period products amongst those who may need to use them.

Key topics explored in the survey were:

• Worries and concerns regarding menstruation and using, and access to, period products
• Preferred period products – and ability to access these preferred products
• Affordability of period products
• Reasons for accessing free period products
• Experiences of those who have accessed free period products to date.

Methods

The data collection was carried out by BMG Research. Analysis of responses was undertaken by Scottish Government analysts.

Two versions of the questionnaire were designed, one suitable for young people aged 12 to 15 years and one for adults aged 16 years and over^[2]. Differences between the two questionnaires were minimal to allow for the data to be merged and analysed as one wider dataset. Both sets of respondents were recruited via online panels. Young people (aged under 16 years) were recruited via their parent/carer. Data collection was carried out between 19 and 24 July 2022. A total sample of 1400 responses was achieved. Representative quotas were set on age, Scottish Parliamentary Region, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) classification^[3] and urban-rural classification^[4]. The data was then further weighted by age, region, SIMD classification, urban-rural classification and household income to ensure representativeness of the menstruating population aged 12 years and over.

Further details on the methodology and weighting applied can be found in Annex A.