Social tenants in Scotland 2017

Annex A - Further Information on sources of data that have been used

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS)

The Scottish Household Survey is a continuous household survey that has been carried out by the Scottish Government since 1999. It is based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland, and allows for analysis of the composition, characteristics and behaviour of Scottish households.

The survey involves two interviews with householders. One interview is with the Highest Income Householder, or his/her partner/spouse, who is interviewed face-to-face about themselves and other members of the household. In addition, a randomly selected adult member of the same household aged 16 or over (who may, by chance, be the same person) is interviewed on other topics. In this way, results from the survey are representative of both Scottish households and adult individuals.

Sample sizes for each year and tenure, at a national level are shown in Excel Table 6.1. As it is a survey it is sometimes necessary to combine together multiple years of data in order to get reliable results.

Housing information is presented annually in the Housing Chapter of the Annual Report, the most recent being "Scotland's People Annual Report. Results from the 2017 Scottish Household Survey", published in September 2018, are available at https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002/PublicationAnnual.

Further details about including headline reports, methodology and information about the design of the SHS is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002.

The Family Resources Survey (FRS)

The Family Resources Survey is a household survey managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that collects information about the living conditions and incomes of people in the UK. It is a face-to-face survey interviewing approximately 4,500 households in Scotland and 26,000 households across the UK as a whole.

The FRS aims to collect detailed information about respondents' incomes from employment and other sources. The Households Below Average Income dataset (HBAI) is derived from the FRS and is the source of UK and Scottish Government official income and poverty estimates. Statistics in this report that have been sourced from the Family Resources Survey have used the HBAI dataset.

Household responses have been weighted and grossed up to be representative of all households in Scotland.

Sample sizes for each year, tenure and country are shown in Excel Table 6.2. As with the Scottish Household Survey, it is sometimes necessary to combine together multiple years of data in order to achieve large enough sample sizes for statistically reliable results.

Significance testing has been carried out on Family Resources Survey based percentages in this publication; these are a standard statistical method for estimating the degree of uncertainty around sample-based percentages. However, Family Resources Survey is a complex survey, and a recommended approach for significance testing may involve bootstrapping. For the purposes of this publication, a pragmatic approach has been used to estimate the margin of error of survey results, which has been based on a standard 95% confidence interval with a design factor of 1.3.

For more information about the FRS and accessing the FRS datasets please see the DWP website (http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/).

For more information about the HBAI and accessing the HBAI dataset please see the DWP website (http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai).

Information from Department for Work and Pensions about the Family Resources Survey data collection (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-resources-survey--2).

Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) Data

The Scottish Housing Regulator collects a range of financial and performance information about each social landlord in Scotland, including Charter Indicators that help show how local authority and housing association landlords are performing against the standards and outcomes of the Scottish Social Housing Charter.

Charter data is provided at an aggregate level from each landlord, rather than for individual households, which means that it is generally not possible to combine together separate indicators to perform more detailed analysis. However, the dataset is based on management information about all social housing in Scotland, rather than sample surveys such as the SHS and the FRS.

Statistical information (including Charter datasets) is available at https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/find-and-compare-landlords

Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland

The Scottish Government collects annual information from local authorities in Scotland on various aspects of social housing and housing management such as stock and house sales, evictions, housing lists, lettings, vacant stock, and local authority housing for older people and people with disabilities.

The information is collected through aggregate forms, from all 32 local authorities, and housing associations where appropriate. The forms are issued on an annual basis, and are quality assured and published by Scottish Government statisticians.

"Housing Statistics for Scotland 2017 - Key Trends summary" contains the key findings: https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-scotland-2018-key-trends-summary/

Detailed supporting tables with local authority breakdowns are available here: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS

Scottish Government House Condition Survey

The Scottish House Condition Survey is based on a national survey of the housing stock, which is part of the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). Until 2012 it was carried out as a stand-alone survey under the name Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS). Following the review of the large-scale Scottish population surveys, the SHCS was incorporated within the SHS and became one of its modules. The Scottish Government continues to report the results from this module of the SHS under the name Scottish House Condition Survey.

The SHCS consists of an interview with householders and a physical inspection of the dwelling they occupy to provide a picture of Scotland's occupied housing stock. It covers all types of households and dwellings across the country - whether owned or rented, flats or houses. The physical data about the dwelling is recorded by surveyors trained to collect detailed information on housing characteristics. This is combined with information about the household collected through a face to face interview with the householder. The interview covers a range of topics such as household characteristics, tenure, neighbourhood satisfaction, dwelling satisfaction, health status, income, etc. The result is a powerful data set for examining the condition and characteristics of the dwellings alongside the views and experience of the people living in those dwellings.

Sample sizes for each year, tenure and country are shown in Excel Table 6.3. As with the Scottish Household Survey, it is sometimes necessary to combine together multiple years of data in order to achieve large enough sample sizes for statistically reliable results. Household responses have been weighted and grossed up to be representative of all households in Scotland.

Scottish House Condition Survey 2017 key findings: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-house-condition-survey-2017-key-findings/

Scottish House Condition Survey details including information methodology, sampling and household questionnaire: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002/SurveyDetails

Scottish Government Housing and Regeneration Outcome Indicators Framework

The Scottish Government's Housing and Generation Outcome indicators are used to gauge progress on housing and regeneration outcome areas. There are 30 indicators which cover four key outcome areas; these are are a well-functioning housing system, high quality, sustainable homes; Homes that meet people's needs and sustainable communities. The indicators draw on existing data sources (already in the public domain) to provide a high-level indication of success on each of the four outcomes. While these indicators do not capture the full picture, they provide an indication of direction of travel, thereby potentially highlighting areas for further investigation.

A full list of indicators, current results and indications of directions of travel can be seen here: http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/partnerstories/HARO/Indicators

Scottish Government 'Private Sector Rent Statistics Scotland 2010 to 2018

This publication presents statistics on private sector rent levels in Scotland over the years 2010 to 2018 (years to end-September) for different property sizes across each of the 18 Broad Rental Market Areas in Scotland. It contains information on average rents as well as rents at the higher and lower end of the market. The publication uses data from the Rent Service Scotland market evidence database, which is collected for the purposes of determining annual Local Housing Allowance levels and Local Reference Rent.

The rental information contained in the market evidence database is largely based on advertised rents, therefore it is important to note that the statistics presented in this publication do not represent rent increases for existing tenants.

It is also important to note that the data collected on individual rents may encompass different property types and addresses for each data collection year, and that this publication is not an attempt at providing a case-matched, tracked-sample or weighted-index approach to monitoring changes to rent levels over time..

Rent Officers aim to capture a representative sample of around 10% of private rents based on the total number of records obtained. Landlord registration data and census data is used as a baseline for establishing and monitoring the total sample proportion that is aimed to be achieved. The sample sizes for each year and property size at a national level are available in Excel Table 6.4.

Private Sector Rent statistics, Scotland, 2010 to 2016 publication: https://www.gov.scot/publications/private-sector-rent-statistics-2010-2018/

Discretionary Housing Payments in Scotland Statistics publications

Information on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) is published by the Scottish Government. The information is currently published on a 6-monthly basis.

The publication includes information on funding, distribution and total awards over 6 month periods. The dataset underlying the statistics is sourced from asking the 32 Scottish Local Authorities questions about the number applications for DHPs, number of determinations, number of awards, and total value of awards. The information is quality assured and published by Scottish Government statisticians.

Discretionary Housing Payments in Scotland statistics publications and reference tables: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/dhp

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government English Housing Survey

The English Housing Survey is a continuous national survey commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It collects information about people's housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England.

The English Housing Survey covers all housing tenures and provides valuable information and evidence to inform the development and monitoring of MHCLG's housing policies. Results from it are also used by a wide range of other users in the public and private sectors.

The survey has 2 main components. Each year, around 13,300 households take part in the face-to-face interview survey. About 6,000 of the participating households also take part in the physical survey.

The physical surveys are carried out by a qualified surveyor and involve a visual inspection of the property. During a physical survey, the surveyor carries out an internal and external assessment of the property. Physical surveys are also carried out on about 200 vacant properties.

English housing survey 2015 to 2016: Social rented sector report: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2015-to-2016-headline-report

Information and publication on the English Housing Survey: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-survey

A guide for survey users is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/english-housing-survey-guidance-and-methodology

Stat-Xplore

The Department for Work and Pensions publishes statistics through customisable tables on the Stat-Xplore website. Information on benefit claimants including Housing Benefit and Universal Credit are available through a statistics tabulation tool at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml

Scottish Survey Core Questions

Core questions are those that are included across a number of Scottish Government surveys, as a result of harmonised question design across three major Scottish Government surveys. The Core questions cover a range of topics, and the pooled sample allows for the production of reliable results.

More information is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/About/Surveys/SSCQ