Scottish Islands Survey 2023: main findings report
This report summarises key findings of the Scottish Islands Survey (2023), which gathered views about different aspects of island life from Scottish island residents. The results will contribute to measuring progress towards the objectives set out in the National Islands Plan (2019).
Footnotes
1 Annex 1 is a reference list of secondary data sources and Annex 2 shows the estimated adult population distribution used in the sampling methodology
2 4,347 people from 59 islands responded to the National Islands Plan Survey (2020). The response rate was 22%.
3 Note that in the National Islands Plan Survey 2020, respondents were asked to, think about times before the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and lockdown (before March 2020), when reporting on how often they used to attend social events.
4 Scottish Government (2015) Inhabited Islands Analytical Report: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/inhabited-islands-analytical-report/
5 Only statistically significant differences have been reported on in this report.
6 Scottish Government (2019) The National Plan for Scotland’s Islands: https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-plan-scotlands-islands/
7 Scottish Government (2023) Scottish island regions 2023: overview. Available: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-island-regions-2023-overview/
8 Experian Marketing Solutions hold names and addresses of adults living in the UK in their Consumer Information Portal, excluding those who have opted out.
9 Supporting documents relating to the 2020 survey are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-islands-plan-survey-final-report/documents/
10 The Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Scottish Islands Survey (2023) can be found here: https://ruralfutures.hutton.ac.uk/scottish-islands-survey-2023
11 “Connected islands” refer to islands that have a fixed link to Orkney or Shetland Mainland, e.g. by bridge or causeway.
12 2022 Census Island population data is available here: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/search-the-census#/location/ISLG2022?title=Island%20Groups%202022
A description of which islands are included in which group is available here: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//geography/products/Islands_Pop_HH.csv
13 Working in more than one paid job or business has been reported as a negative outcome in this report based on the supposition that it reflects economic insecurity. Having more than one job is common on many Scottish islands and individuals fulfilling more than one role is critical to the resilience of island communities, especially those with very small populations. This often offers variety and greater flexibility in dealing with uncertainty and it is not necessarily negative in every circumstance. While we accept this occupational structure is a common feature of island life, the increase in the number of people working more than one job could also reflect an increased economic insecurity, hence the choice to report this as a negative indicator
14In this report, 'Highlands and Islands' refers to areas covered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise: https://www.hie.co.uk/our-region/
15 My Life in the Highlands and Islands 2022: https://www.hie.co.uk/research-and-reports/our-reports/2022/october/13/myliferesearch/
16 Note that not all islands are served by inter-island flights and ferries and this is reflected in the lower use reported in some island regions.
17 Scottish Household Survey 2022 (Transport and Travel in Scotland): https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
18 My Life in the Highlands and Islands 2022: https://www.hie.co.uk/research-and-reports/our-reports/2022/october/13/myliferesearch/
19 The Scottish Islands Survey (2023) asked about islanders’ perceptions of energy costs, the affordability of keeping their home warm and whether their home felt cold in the winter. The survey did not collect information on modelled fuel expenditure or housing costs, which is needed to measure fuel poverty directly. It cannot be compared to official definitions of fuel poverty. A fuel poor household is defined in Scottish legislation: https://www.gov.scot/policies/home-energy-and-fuel-poverty/fuel-poverty/
20 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
21 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
22 Mental wellbeing scores were calculated using the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) © NHS Health Scotland, University of Warwick and University of Edinburgh, 2008, all rights reserved. The SWEMWBS scale runs from seven (lowest mental wellbeing) to 35 (highest mental wellbeing). In England, the mean score is 23.5 with a standard deviation of 3.9. This means that 15% of the population can be expected to have a score >27.4 and 15% can be expected to have a score <19.6.*
* Ng Fat L, Scholes S, Boniface S, Mindell J, Stewart-Brown S. Evaluating and establishing national norms for mental wellbeing using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS): findings from the Health Survey for England. Qual Life Res. May 2017, 26(5):1129-1144.
23 In Scotland in 2022, the mean WEMWBS score for all adults was 47.0. The Scottish Health Survey 2022:
24 23.8 is the average SWEMWBS score for Scottish Surveys Core Questions (2022): https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-surveys-core-questions-2022/
25 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
26 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
27 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
28 Scottish Household Survey 2022: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback