Scottish household survey: Frequently Asked Questions
This section contains a number of frequently asked questions about the Scottish Household Survey.
Topic Coverage
An implication of the core and modular structure of the survey (described on the methodology page) is that households will be asked on a subset of all questions in the survey. This means that households can expect to be asked questions on some, though not all, of the topics listed below.
The survey questionnaire itself is structured in three main parts.
The household reference person, who is the Highest Income Householder (HIH) or their spouse/partner completes part 1 of the interview ('Household'). Details of all members of the household, including children, are collected during the household interview. This includes questions related to the composition and characteristics of the household, and involves capturing basic demographic information of all members of the household, such as gender, age and economic situation at this stage, as well detailed information on dwelling characteristics as captured through the old SHCS. The topics covered in the Household section of the survey are as follows:
Topics covered in SHS Household component
| Household Composition | People living in household, basic demographics |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | Property type, Tenure & Length of tenure, Ownership of property, Previous home |
| Household Services | Number of bedrooms, Internet access, Food waste/recycling |
| Driving and Transport | Cars, Fuel spend, Bicycles |
| Children &Young People | Schools and travel to school, Activities |
| Health and Disability | Long-term health condition/illness |
| House Condition Survey | Noise, Responding to emergency, Repairs, Satisfaction with accommodation, Heating (including type of heating, control, cost, and suitability), Renewables, Energy Efficiency and Insulation, Adaptations |
| Household Employment | Employment details including status, working pattern & type of work |
| Household Income | Householder/Spouse paid/self-employed/other jobs, Benefits, Other sources |
| Household Finances | Banking, Savings and investments, Standard of living |
| Mortgages and Rent | Rent and Mortgages, Household costs including service charge and council tax, Managing financially |
Subsequently a child is selected from all household members under 16 (the 'Random Child') and the household respondent is asked questions about childcare for that child. A child who is at school is also selected (the 'Random School Child') and the household respondent answers questions about the school that child attends and the journey they make to go there.
Once the composition of the household has been established, one of the adults in the household is randomly selected by the computer to complete part 2 ('Random Adult'). This covers the behavioural and attitudinal type questions, such as satisfaction with local services, and captures further demographic information on the random adult. This element also covers the "Travel Diary" component which asks about travel behaviours on the day previous to that of the interview day. In all households with a single adult the same person completes both parts, but as the number of adults in the household increases, the probability of the random adult being the same as the household respondent declines. The topics covered in the Random Adult section of the survey are as follows:
Topics covered in SHS Random Adult component
| Adult Characteristics | Basic demographics, Country of birth and date of entry |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | Housing experiences |
| Neighbourhoods and Communities | Rating, Belonging, Crime & Police performance, Greenspace, Anti-social behaviour, Safety, Discrimination and Harassment, Involvement with Neighbours |
| Education | Qualifications, Internet (including use & access, internet security) |
| Travel and Transport | Licence, Driving, Park and rides, Electric cars, Travel to work/education, Congestion, Car Sharing, Air travel, Public transport, Incidents, Journey planning, Road accidents and Travel Diary |
| Volunteering, Local government & services |
Perceptions of local government, Volunteering, Perceptions of local services, Culture & Sport, Visits to outdoors |
| Health,Disability and Caring | Self-assessed health, Disability, Caring responsibilities, Smoking, Concessionary travel |
| Employment | Employment status & Government work scheme |
The full SHS Questionnaire can be accessed here.
Physical survey
At the end of the Household component of the survey, the HIH may be asked if they would be willing to have the follow-up component "Physical Survey" of the dwelling arranged. Such surveys are conducted by professional surveyors through a visual inspection of the dwelling. The surveyor will assess the condition, design and energy efficiency of the home, with much of their time spent surveying the outside, but they will ask to see all the rooms inside. Results from the Physical Survey are reported in the Scottish House Condition Survey Key Findings Report.
If you have any enquiries about the topic list, then please contact the SHS team.
Contact
Email: shs@gov.scot
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