Scottish Household Survey 2021: methodology and fieldwork outcomes
Methodology of the 2021 Scottish Household Survey and information on fieldwork targets and outcomes.
Survey response
Scotland level
The final number of social survey interviews achieved was 9,952. This is lower than the target of 10,450 interviews and represents an overall response rate of 11%.
Normally response rates are reported as total interviews over eligible addresses. However, it is not possible to get accurate estimates of deadwood (ineligible addresses) from the alternative SHS approaches (since without face-to-face visits, we cannot identify what proportion of addresses were vacant or derelict or otherwise ineligible). The best comparison between the different approaches is to use total interviews achieved divided by all addresses. This is sometimes referred to as the "unadjusted response rate".
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 56.3% | 57.2% | 19.7% | 11.0% |
| Opt-in | n/a | n/a | 14.5% | 10.0% |
| Telephone-matched | n/a | n/a | 37.1% | 25.2% |
The response to the opt-in only sample reduced over time, from 12-13% in the earlier waves to 10% in the later waves.
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portal / telephone opt-ins | 14.0% | 15.6% | 14.3% | 11.8% | 12.9% | 11.2% | 10.1% | 9.2% | 9.6% | 11.3% | 11.8% |
| Opt-ins resulting in interviews | 85.0% | 83.0% | 78.8% | 88.6% | 87.5% | 85.4% | 82.5% | 85.8% | 87.2% | 86.8% | 85.1% |
| Overall unadjusted response rate | 11.9% | 13.0% | 11.2% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 9.5% | 8.3% | 7.9% | 8.4% | 9.8% | 10.0% |
The conversion from household interview to random adult completion was 91.5% in 2021 (compared to 92% in 2019 and 2020).
Local authority level
| Local authority | Response rate – Opt-in | Response rate – Telephone-matched | Response rate - overall | Household interviews | Random adult interviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 8.4% | 14.8% | 8.9% | 311 | 298 |
| Aberdeenshire | 11.7% | 19.9% | 12.6% | 315 | 283 |
| Angus | 9.3% | 21.6% | 9.9% | 256 | 231 |
| Argyll and Bute | 11.6% | 19.7% | 12.1% | 267 | 244 |
| Clackmannanshire | 9.9% | 33.5% | 12.1% | 249 | 233 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 11.1% | 21.1% | 11.9% | 244 | 219 |
| Dundee City | 7.4% | 20.5% | 7.9% | 229 | 206 |
| East Ayrshire | 9.3% | 17.1% | 9.8% | 219 | 200 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 13.4% | 29.5% | 14.6% | 231 | 197 |
| East Lothian | 14.0% | 24.6% | 15.0% | 242 | 214 |
| East Renfrewshire | 13.1% | 25.2% | 14.1% | 259 | 242 |
| Edinburgh City | 14.1% | 28.9% | 15.0% | 788 | 725 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 9.1% | 38.1% | 11.0% | 221 | 209 |
| Falkirk | 8.9% | 23.5% | 9.9% | 227 | 202 |
| Fife | 9.7% | 30.8% | 11.3% | 556 | 500 |
| Glasgow City | 8.4% | 18.1% | 8.8% | 900 | 825 |
| Highland | 12.8% | 34.0% | 14.6% | 359 | 329 |
| Inverclyde | 8.6% | 24.0% | 10.0% | 223 | 200 |
| Midlothian | 9.0% | 19.2% | 9.6% | 250 | 223 |
| Moray | 13.3% | 26.8% | 14.5% | 233 | 216 |
| North Ayrshire | 8.7% | 23.1% | 9.7% | 231 | 208 |
| North Lanarkshire | 6.9% | 23.7% | 7.9% | 447 | 398 |
| Orkney | 12.4% | 35.7% | 14.1% | 242 | 222 |
| Perth and Kinross | 11.5% | 26.1% | 12.2% | 278 | 258 |
| Renfrewshire | 9.9% | 25.2% | 10.7% | 270 | 238 |
| Scottish Borders | 14.3% | 42.0% | 17.2% | 242 | 222 |
| Shetland | 12.9% | 33.1% | 14.4% | 234 | 211 |
| South Ayrshire | 11.0% | 29.6% | 12.7% | 238 | 208 |
| South Lanarkshire | 8.7% | 24.8% | 9.7% | 486 | 441 |
| Stirling | 14.0% | 27.6% | 15.0% | 254 | 233 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 6.3% | 21.2% | 7.0% | 238 | 208 |
| West Lothian | 9.9% | 18.9% | 11.0% | 213 | 191 |
| TOTAL | 10.0% | 25.2% | 11.0% | 9952 | 9034 |
Physical survey
Table 8 shows the percentage and number of those asked to take part in the physical survey who went on to complete it. There was a target of at least 80 completed physical surveys for each local authority along with a target of 3,004 surveys for Scotland. The total number of completed physical surveys was 3,174, exceeding the target of 3,004.
The coversion rate from household survey to physical survey was 80% overall. This is considerably high than normal because of the change of approach to the social and physical survey. Overall, 83% of eligible households taking part in the social survey agreed to a surveyor appointment and 96% of these resulted in an External+ physical survey being achieved.
| Local authority | Physical surveys | Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 82 | 76% |
| Aberdeenshire | 82 | 74% |
| Angus | 85 | 86% |
| Argyll and Bute | 100 | 81% |
| Clackmannanshire | 88 | 87% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 69 | 77% |
| Dundee City | 92 | 81% |
| East Ayrshire | 75 | 82% |
| East Dunbartonshire | 76 | 84% |
| East Lothian | 94 | 77% |
| East Renfrewshire | 80 | 74% |
| Edinburgh City | 201 | 76% |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 80 | 67% |
| Falkirk | 80 | 78% |
| Fife | 144 | 84% |
| Glasgow City | 286 | 80% |
| Highland | 89 | 82% |
| Inverclyde | 79 | 81% |
| Midlothian | 91 | 82% |
| Moray | 80 | 82% |
| North Ayrshire | 92 | 79% |
| North Lanarkshire | 124 | 82% |
| Orkney | 100 | 86% |
| Perth and Kinross | 103 | 82% |
| Renfrewshire | 87 | 86% |
| Scottish Borders | 89 | 76% |
| Shetland | 81 | 86% |
| South Ayrshire | 86 | 80% |
| South Lanarkshire | 122 | 73% |
| Stirling | 87 | 87% |
| West Dunbartonshire | 77 | 77% |
| West Lothian | 73 | 79% |
Contact
Email: shs@gov.scot
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