Publication - Research and analysis

Diversity in political representation in Scotland: data improvement project proposal

Published: 14 December 2021
From: Minister for Parliamentary Business
Directorate: Constitution Directorate, +1 more … Performance, Delivery and Resilience Directorate
Topic: Constitution and democracy, Equality and rights
ISBN: 9781802017540

We have been scoping out a project to work with stakeholders to improve the completeness of data on the diversity of election candidates and elected representatives in Scotland. This paper sets out details of a proposed new data collection at the 2022 local council elections.

Supporting documents

Footnotes

1. Equality Act 2010

2. Equality Act 2010: Special provision for political parties

3. Equality and Human Rights Commission Equality Act 2010 – guidance for political parties

4. Fairer Scotland Duty: guidance for public bodies

5. Equality Act 2010: Section 106

6. Electoral Commission (2017) Scottish council elections 2017: Report on the administration of the elections held on 4 May 2017

7. Access to Politics Charter - Inclusion Scotland

8. Bochel, H. & Denver. D. (2007) A Quiet Revolution: The Scottish Council Elections of 2007

9. In their 2017 candidates summary, the EMB noted: "Data on gender was based on the name of the candidate, or the knowledge of the Returning Officer. As such there may be inaccuracies. However, the analysis does not assign a gender identity to any individual candidate but aims to give a general overall sense of the gender balance of candidates".

10. Electoral Management Board for Scotland RO Return (Nominations) for the EMB – Summary of candidates nominated 2017

11. Scottish Parliament Information Centre SPICe Briefing - Local government elections 2012

12. Local Government Elections 2017

13. Bochel, H. & Denver. D. (2007) A Quiet Revolution: The Scottish Council Elections of 2007

14. Bochel, H. Denver, D. Steven, M (2012) Report on Scottish Council Elections 2012

15. Bochel, H. & Denver. D. (2017) 2017 Scottish Council elections Report

16. House of Commons Library Scottish Parliament Elections - 2016; Scottish Parliament Elections - 2021

17. Democracy club

18. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2019) Diversity of candidates and elected officials in Great Britain

19. The Comparative Candidate Survey

20. Scottish Executive (2003) National Survey of Local Government Candidates, 2003

21. Scottish Government (2008) National Survey of Local Government Candidates, 2007

22. Scottish Government (2008) National Survey of Local Government Candidates and Councillors, 2007 - Research Findings

23. Scottish Parliament Information Centre SPICe Briefing - Local Government elections 2012; SPICe Briefing - Local Government Elections 2017

24. Bochel, H. & Denver. D. (2007) A Quiet Revolution: The Scottish Council Elections of 2007

25. Bochel, H. Denver, D. Steven, M (2012) Report on Scottish Council Elections 2012

26. National Records of Scotland Population Estimates Time Series Data

27. Improvement Service Scotland's Councillors 2013

28. Improvement Service Scotland's Councillors 2017-2022

29. Scottish Parliament Information Centre SPICe Briefing: Election 2003; SPICe Briefing: Election 2007; SPICe Briefing: Election 2016; SPICe Briefing: Election 2021.

30. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2019) Diversity of candidates and elected officials in Great Britain

31. English, P., Morales, L., and Sobolewska, M. (2016), 'UK Dataset of the project Pathways to Power: The Political Representation of Citizens of Immigrant Origin in Seven European Democracies'. ESRC (ES/L016664/1) in EHRC (2019)

32. Evans, E. & Reher, S. (2021) Barriers to elected office for disabled people UK Government Equalities Office

33. House of Commons Library UK Election Statistics: 1918-2021: A Century of Elections

34. House of Commons Library Social background of MPs 1979-2019

35. House of Commons Library Ethnic diversity in politics and public life

36. Equality and Human Rights Commission Diversity of candidates and elected officials in Great Britain

37. Campbell, R., Hudson, J. and Rüdig, W. (2017) Representative Audit of Britain

38. Statistics Finland Background analysis of candidates and elected MPs in Parliamentary elections 2019

39. Statistics Norway Storting election, candidates

40. Swedish Election Authority Elections to the Riksdag - Age and gender

41. Johnson, A., Tolley, E., Thomas, M., & Bodet, M. (2021). A New Dataset on the Demographics of Canadian Federal Election Candidates. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 54(3), 717-725.

42. New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Local Authority Election Candidates Report

43. Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011

44. Welsh Government Local Government Candidates Survey 2017

45. The Comparative Candidate Survey

46. Scottish Government (2021) Public sector - understanding equality data collection

47. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2019) Diversity of candidates and elected officials in Great Britain

48. Scotland's Census - 2022 Question Set

49. Scottish Household Survey questionnaires

50. Improvement Service Scotland's Councillors 2017-2022

51. Welsh Government Local Government Candidates Survey 2017

52. Comparative Candidate Survey (CCS) Module II

53. Scottish Parliament Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee meeting - Diversity of representation at local government elections | Scottish Parliament Website