Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2012/13

Annex 3: Revisions to Income and Poverty Statistics for this Publication

Following publication of the 2011 census results, new population totals for Scotland and the UK are available along with revised estimates of the population for years following the previous census in 2001. As such, the previously published statistics for 2002/03 to 2011/12 have been revised to better reflect the make-up of the population over this period, in line with the newly available evidence from the census.

The effect of this revision is small and does not affect the overall trends in poverty and income inequality seen over this period. The table below shows the headline estimates for poverty in Scotland on both the old and the new (revised) basis. Most estimates are unchanged and where there is a discrepancy, this is never greater than 1 percentage point.

Table A12 - Comparison of revised estimates of relative poverty (BHC) with previously published estimates - 2002/03 to 2011/12

Source: HBAI dataset, DWP.

A number of minor methodological changes have also been incorporated into the population grossing following recommendations from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These relate to the adjustments made to the sample due to factors such as housing tenure and number of households by region to ensure that the sample is representative of the population as a whole. Full details of all methodological changes can be found on the DWP website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-resources-survey-grossing-methodology-review-and-2011-census-updates