How much do people in Scotland value characteristics of marine and coastal areas

Annex 3: Survey Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. The survey is part of research being conducted by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the University of East Anglia.

The research is about what is important to people about marine and coastal areas in Scotland and how people think they should be managed.

Marine and coastal areas are any part of the seas and coastline around Scotland, including beaches, coastal cliffs and coastal towns and settlements.

The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Privacy Notice

This survey is for a research project to better understand what is important to people about marine and coastal areas in Scotland.

The data collected from this survey will be stored securely with restricted access to authorised Scottish Government and University of East Anglia staff with ethical and scientific approval. All answers provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

To allow the research to identify trends within the Scottish population, you will be asked to answer standard questions about your age, geographical area you live in, gender and socio-economic status.

The basis for this data collection is the ‘public task’ basis and the purpose of this research is to inform policy by developing the evidence base on how people value marine and coastal areas. All personal data collected from this survey will deleted upon publication of the survey results in the next 12 months, which will be reported at an overall level in an anonymous way and individual responses will not be identifiable.

This research is being carried out by Marine Scotland, a directorate of the Scottish Government. If you wish to contact us with any queries relating to this research, you can do so at: MarineAnalyticalUnit@gov.scot.

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.

Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.

Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to object to processing - You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at our Central Enquiry Unit: ceu@gov.scot

You can contact our Data Protection Officer at: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.scot

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk

Agreement to participate is entirely voluntary, and you can withdraw from the survey at any time if you do not want to continue.

Agreement to participate in this study is given by selecting the box below.

• I am at least 16 years old and agree to participate in this survey (1)
• I do not agree (this ends the survey) (2)

Please indicate your age

• 16-24 (1)
• 25-34 (2)
• 35-44 (3)
• 45-54 (4)
• 55-64 (5)
• 65-74 (6)
• 75+ (7)

Please indicate your sex Note: a question about gender will follow.

• Male (1)
• Female (2)

Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?

• Yes (1)
• No (2)
• Prefer not to say (3)

Please indicate the area where you currently live in Scotland

Aberdeen (1) ... West Lothian (32)

Please can you provide the first half of your postcode?

Depending on your postcode, this should be 3 or 4 characters. Please enter in the box below.

The Scottish government is considering introducing new management policies aimed at improving the environmental condition of Scotland’s marine and coastal areas.

Marine and coastal areas are any part of the seas and coastline around Scotland, including beaches, coastal cliffs and coastal towns and settlements.

In your opinion, how important are the following industries for Scotland's future?

	Not at all important (1)	Slightly important (2)	Moderately important (3)	Very important (4)	Extremely important (5)	Don't know (6)
Commercial fishing (1)
Farming of fish (2)
Fish processing (3)
Oil & gas (4)
Marine renewable energy such as offshore wind, wave and tidal (5)
Ports and shipping (6)
Marine/coastal recreation and tourism (7)
Scientific research such as marine biology (8)
Shipbuilding (9)
Farming of shellfish and seaweed (10)

What do you think the impact is of the following industries on the environmental condition of marine and coastal areas in Scotland?

	No impact (1)	Minor impact (2)	Moderate impact (3)	Large impact (4)	Very large impact (5)	Don't know (6)
Commercial fishing (1)
Farming of fish (2)
Fish processing (3)
Oil & gas (4)
Marine renewable energy such as offshore wind, wave and tidal (5)
Ports and shipping (6)
Marine/coastal recreation and tourism (7)
Scientific research such as marine biology (8)
Shipbuilding (9)
Farming of shellfish and seaweed (10)

Do you or any of your close family and friends work in or depend largely on the following industries in Scotland? Please select all that apply.

• Commercial fishing (1)
• Farming of fish (2)
• Fish processing (3)
• Oil & gas (4)
• Marine renewable energy such as offshore wind, wave and tidal (5)
• Ports and shipping (6)
• Marine/coastal recreation and tourism e.g. scuba diving, cruise tourism, recreational boating (7)
• Scientific research such as marine biology (8)
• Shipbuilding (9)
• Farming of shellfish and seaweed (10)
• None (11)

Thinking about your personal experiences of Scotland's marine wildlife and habitats, how would you rate these experiences?

• Very poor (1)
• Poor (2)
• Neither poor nor good (3)
• Good (4)
• Very good (5)
• Don't know (6)

When you answered the last question, what were you thinking about the most?

• The overall variety of animals and plants in marine and coastal areas (1)
• The environmental impact of marine industries (e.g. commercial fishing, fish farming, oil and gas) (2)
• The condition of coastal and marine habitats (3)
• Amount of litter on beaches (4)
• Water quality (5)
• Gut feeling (6)
• Marine protection policies (e.g. Marine Protected Areas) (7)
• Experience of seeing wildlife in marine and coastal areas (8)
• Other (please specify) (9)

In the past 5 years, do you think the overall environmental condition of marine and coastal areas in Scotland has…

• Improved (1)
• Stayed the same (2)
• Worsened (3)
• Don’t know (4)

New management policies in marine and coastal areas are being considered by the Scottish Government. These policies aim to reduce the impact of human activities on vulnerable wildlife and habitats.

Different management policies can exist according to the following characteristics:

• Size of area where the change occurs
• Distance to the coast
• Type of restrictions
• Marine wildlife and habitats
• Educational boards

Scotland’s seas are nearly six times larger than the land area of Scotland. The new management policies could be introduced in an area equal to:

• 2.5% of total sea area
• 5% of total sea area
• 7.5% of total sea area
• 10% of total sea area

The new management policies could be introduced:

• Inshore - from the coast out to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres)
• Offshore - from 12 nautical miles out from the coast to 200 nautical miles out from the coast (370 kilometres)

Type of restrictions

The new management policies could include introducing restrictions on human activities that cause damage to marine wildlife and habitats. Non-damaging recreational activities will not be impacted by restrictions.

 

Marine wildlife and habitats

The new management policies will impact the number and variety of wildlife and habitats, although changes might happen on the seafloor and not be visible to the general population.

Educational boards

The new management policies will update existing information boards and install new boards with educational content (for all ages) about wildlife and habitats in marine and coastal areas around Scotland.

Considering these characteristics, different management policy options could be introduced. In the following pages, you will be asked your preferences for different management policy options.

Each option will require payment in the form of an increase in your annual household water charge to support the introduction, monitoring and enforcement of the management strategies.

Different management policy options will be presented to you in the form of a choice card. You will be asked to choose your most preferred option in each choice card. This should be the option that you think is best for you. There will be three options: A, B or C.

Choosing option A or B will cost the amounts shown in the choice card and will reduce your ability to make other purchases that may be equally important to you.

Option C is always the same in each choice card and represents the current situation. This means no change in the way marine and coastal areas are managed and no additional cost to your household.

The Scottish Government already allocates resources to managing marine and coastal areas. Any increase in your annual household water charge will be specifically used to fund new management policies in marine and coastal areas.

There are no right or wrong answers, but it is important your answers reflect your true opinions as the results from this survey will be used to help plan future management policies of marine and coastal areas.

On the following pages, you will be presented with six of these choice cards. Treat each choice card separately.

Could you please describe what you were generally thinking about when making your choices for the choice cards?

Do you have any suggestions for improving the presentation of the choice cards?

On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (completely), how clear do you think the choice cards presented were?

• 1 (not at all) (1)
• 2 (2)
• 3 (3)
• 4 (4)
• 5 (completely) (5)

On a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (completely), how sure were you of the choices you made?

• 1 (not at all) (1)
• 2 (2)
• 3 (3)
• 4 (4)
• 5 (completely) (5)

On a scale of 1 (not at all) and 5 (completely), how clear did you find the description of the following characteristics in the choice cards?

	1 (not at all) (1)	2 (2)	3 (3)	4 (4)	5 (completely) (5)	Don't know (6)
Size of the area where the change occurs (1)
Distance to the coast (2)
Type of restrictions (3)
Marine wildlife and habitats (4)

Which factor influenced your choice the most? Please select one from the list below.

• Size of area (1)
• Distance to coast (2)
• Type of restrictions (3)
• Marine wildlife and habitats (4)
• Educational content (5)
• Increase in your annual household water charge (6)

Which factor influence your choice the least? Please select one from the list below.

• Size of area (1)
• Distance to coast (2)
• Type of restriction (3)
• Marine wildlife and habitats (4)
• Educational content (5)
• Increase in your annual household water charge (6)

Is there any reason why you would not support payment of a programme to improve the environmental condition of marine and coastal areas in your area?

• No, I would support it (1)
• I cannot afford it (2)
• The programme should be funded through already existing taxes (3)
• I think that the current situation is fine (4)
• I already pay enough through my taxes (5)
• I am not interested in the environmental condition of marine and coastal areas (6)
• I do not visit marine and coastal areas (7)
• Other reason – please specify (8)

What do you consider as the main reason for protecting marine wildlife and habitats?

• For nature and wildlife themselves (1)
• For future generations (2)
• For the health and well-being of wider society (3)
• For you (4)
• For your household and family (6)
• I do not support protecting marine wildlife and habitats (7)
• Other (please specify) (8)

Irrespective of the scenarios and payments presented in the previous section, If you were given the possibility to vote, would you keep using public resources to support the protection and management of marine and coastal areas?

• Yes (1)
• No (2)
• Don't know (3)

The following questions aim to know more about your leisure visits to Scottish marine and coastal areas.

Approximately how far, in miles, do you live from the coast?

• Less than 5 miles (1)
• Between 5 and 10 miles (2)
• Between 10 and 25 miles (3)
• Between 25 and 50 miles (4)
• Between 50 and 100 miles (5)

Would you describe the area where you live as being “by the coast”? If you live between multiple addresses (for example, as a student, or if you have a second home), please think about your main home.

• Yes – the area where I live is “by the coast” (1)
• No – the area where I live is not “by the coast” (2)
• Don’t know (3)

On a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent do you consider yourself to be part of a coastal community? Please place yourself on the scale below, where 1 indicates that you strongly consider yourself part of a coastal community, and 5 indicates that you do not consider yourself to be part of a coastal community at all, or you can choose any number in between

• 1 - I strongly consider myself to be part of a coastal community (1)
• 2 (2)
• 3 (3)
• 4 (4)
• 5 - I do not consider myself to be part of a coastal community at all (5)
• Don't know (6)

Have you visited a marine or coastal area in Scotland in the last 12 months?

• Yes (1)
• No, but I have visited more than 12 months ago (2)
• No, and I have never visited (3)

What are the top 3 factors that you consider when deciding which Scottish marine and coastal areas to visit?

• Visiting an area which is not crowded (1)
• Enjoying the natural environment (2)
• Cleanliness of the area (3)
• Being able to see wildlife in the area (4)
• Distance you have to travel to the area from your home/where you are staying (5)
• Walking opportunities (6)
• Opportunities to relax (7)
• Sports you can do in the area (8)
• Availability of cafes and restaurants (9)
• Car parking (10)
• Safe for swimming (11)
• Surf conditions (12)
• Availability of shops and amusements (13)
• Other factors (please specify) (14)

Have you done any of the following leisure activities at a Scottish marine or coastal area in the last 12 months? Please select all that apply.

• Walking/hiking/running at the coast (1)
• Beach activities/games/picnics/BBQs (2)
• Photography (3)
• Dog walking (4)
• Wildlife watching (5)
• Swimming (6)
• Power boating (outboard/inboard engine) (7)
• Jet skiing (8)
• Recreational fishing on the coast or in the sea (9)
• Kayaking/rowing/canoeing (10)
• Sailing (11)
• Diving/snorkelling (12)
• Surfing/bodyboarding (13)
• Windsurfing/kite-surfing (14)
• Other (please specify) (15)

Of those leisure activities, which one is the most important to you? The most important leisure activity is the one that you undertake most often, you care the most, or you would not let go. Please select only one activity.

• Walking/hiking/running at the coast (1)
• Beach activities/games/picnics/BBQs (2)
• Photography (3)
• Dog walking (4)
• Wildlife watching (5)
• Swimming (6)
• Power boating (outboard/inboard engine) (7)
• Jet skiing (8)
• Recreational fishing on the coast or in the sea (9)
• Kayaking/rowing/canoeing (10)
• Sailing (11)
• Diving/snorkelling (12)
• Surfing/bodyboarding (13)
• Windsurfing/kite-surfing (14)
• Other (please specify) (15)

How often have you done (selected choice) at a Scottish marine or coastal area in the last 12 months?

• Daily (1)
• Weekly (2)
• Once a fortnight (3)
• Monthly (4)
• Once every six months (5)
• Once a year (6)

And where have you done (selected choice) the most in the last 12 months? Please select the relevant region from the dropdown list and then enter the name of the specific area/site in the text box.

Region

Argyll (1) ... Not sure (12)

Name of the area/site

You indicated that you have not visited a Scottish marine or coastal area in the last 12 months.

What was the main reason/s for not visiting a marine or coastal area in Scotland in the last 12 months? Please select all the apply.

• Bad / poor weather (1)
• Poor physical health (or illness) (2)
• Poor mental health or wellbeing (3)
• Lack of facilities and access points for those with disabilities (4)
• Too busy at home and/or work (5)
• Not interested and/or prefer to do other leisure activities (6)
• Cost / too expensive (7)
• Nowhere near me is nice enough to spend my free time in (10)
• Stayed at home to stop coronavirus spreading / Government restrictions (11)
• Poor transport links / access to the coast (12)
• Lack of parking (or the cost of parking) (13)
• Takes too long to get there / live too far away (14)
• People like me don't visit the coast (15)
• Another reason (please specify) (16)
• No particular reason (17)
• Don't know (18)

Although you have not visited in the last 12 months, is there a marine or coastal area in Scotland you feel a connection with?

• Yes (1)
• No (2)
• Don't know (3)

Where is the marine or coastal area in Scotland you feel a connection with?

• Argyll (1)
• Clyde (2)
• Forth & Tay (3)
• Moray Firth (4)
• North Coast (5)
• North East (6)
• Outer Hebrides (7)
• Orkney Islands (8)
• Shetland Isles (9)
• Solway (10)
• West Highlands (11)
• Not sure (12)
• None (13)

Why do you feel this connection? Please select all that apply.

• It is closest to my house (1)
• I used to visit when I was younger (2)
• My family use that area (3)
• My friends use that area (4)
• Other (please specify) (5)

Are you? Please select one option that best applies.

• In full-time employment (31+ hours per week) (1)
• In part-time employment (Up to 30 hours per week) (2)
• Self-employed (3)
• Unemployed – less than 12 months (4)
• Unemployed (long term) – more than 12 months (5)
• Not working – retired (6)
• Not working – looking after house/children/other caring responsibilities (7)
• Not working – long term sick or disabled (8)
• Student – in full-time education (9)
• Student – in part-time education (10)
• Prefer not to say (11)

Are you a member of an environmental organisation? If yes, please type the name of the organisation in the text box below (you can leave this blank if you prefer not to).

• No (1)
• Yes (2)

What is your highest level of qualification? Please select one answer only.

• PHD/Doctor (1)
• Masters (2)
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent (such as a NVQ level 5) (3)
• Higher education (such as a HND or a NVQ level 4) (4)
• Scottish Highers or equivalent (such as A levels, a Welsh Baccalaureate, NVQ level 3, BTEC National) (5)
• GCSE or equivalent (such as O Level, NVQ level 2, BTEC First or an RSA Diploma) (6)
• No qualifications (7)
• Other qualifications (please specify) (8)
• Prefer not to say (9)

Which of the following best describes your total annual household income before tax?

• £0–15,000 (1)
• £15,001–20,000 (2)
• £20,001–30,000 (3)
• £30,001–40,000 (4)
• £40,001–50,000 (5)
• £50,001–60,000 (6)
• £60,001–80,000 (7)
• £80,001–100,000 (8)
• £100,001-£150,000 (9)
• £150,001+ (10)
• Prefer not to say (11)

Finally, did you find this survey...

• Interesting (1)
• Too long (2)
• Difficult to understand (3)
• Educational (4)
• Unrealistic/not credible (5)
• Other (please specify) (6)