Occasional Paper: Summary Characteristics of UK Armed Forces Veterans - Scotland's Census 2022
A report presenting census data which demonstrates differences between Scotland’s veteran and non-veteran population, based on providing high-level statistics on veterans’ demographic characteristics.
Introduction
Building better data on veterans in Scotland
Launched in November 2018, the UK-wide Strategy for our Veterans sets clear 10-year goals to ensure veterans and their families feel valued, supported and empowered and are not disadvantaged as a result of service in the Armed Forces when accessing services and support. By committing to this Strategy along with the other governments of the UK, the Scottish Government has pledged to achieve a shared vision, principles and outcomes. The Scottish Government's plan for taking forward the Strategy was first published in January 2020 and refreshed in August 2022. As part of this plan, the Scottish Government committed to improving the collection, use and analysis of veterans data.
In 2022, a question was introduced to gather data on veteran status in Scotland’s Census[1]. The question was included to better understand the veteran population[2].
In June 2024, National Records of Scotland (NRS) published a summary report on the total number of veterans in Scotland, the age and sex profiles of veterans, and percentage of veterans per council area. In November 2024, NRS published a Flexible Table Builder that enables multivariate analysis on the veteran population, using variables such as ethnic group, religion and disability.
This paper demonstrates key differences between the veteran and non-veteran population. It gives a high-level overview of veterans’ demographic characteristics to show how the Flexible Table Builder can be used to explore the data on veterans.
The data presented in this short report is drawn from Scotland’s Census 2022. It should be noted that all census data tables have privacy protection applied to keep the data of individuals safe. Figures might not sum to sub totals and totals due to these Statistical Disclosure Controls (SDC). More information about census SDC is available via the slides from NRS’s May 2024 webinars.
Making comparisons between veteran and non-veteran groups
We need to be careful when making comparisons between UK Armed Forces veterans and the rest of the population. The veteran population is different from the non-veteran population in many important ways.
Scotland’s Census showed that the structure of the veteran population differed substantially to the non-veteran population in relation to age and sex, with the veteran population being older and predominantly male. This can impact the interpretation of the data when comparing veterans to non-veterans. The over-representation of older people in the veteran population can interact with other personal characteristics, for example disability. In such examples, it is important to consider the structure of the veteran population and that differences found between veterans and non-veterans might not be attributable to veteran status.
Despite being generally older and male, the veteran population is not homogenous. There are differences in the composition of the veteran population.
In this analysis, we have used age cohorts to demonstrate some of the differences between veteran and non-veteran groups. These age groups are 16-49 years old, 50-79 years old, and those aged 80 and over. These age groups have been selected due to increases in the veterans population at 50 and 80 years old, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Half of veterans were aged 65 and over
Number of UK Armed Forces veterans by age, Scotland, 2022
Source: National Records of Scotland - Scotland's Census 2022
Future analysis of UK Armed Forces Veterans census data
To further support interpretation and use of this data, we will undertake additional analysis of Scotland’s census data on veterans. We will explore methods to adjust the non-veteran population data to reflect the characteristics of the veteran population. Weighting methods applied to the non-veteran population would show what, if any, difference would exist between veterans and non-veterans if the two populations had similar characteristics, for example, the same age and sex distribution. This analysis will provide greater insight into the Veteran Strategy themes, such as community and relationships, employment, education and skills, health and wellbeing, and housing. We will inform users of progress with this additional analysis through the SCOTSTAT network.
[1] Have you previously served in the UK Armed Forces? Currently serving members should only tick ‘No’. Answer options: No; Yes, previously served in regular armed forces; Yes, previously served in reserve armed forces.
[2] The ‘veteran population’ in this article refers to usual residents in Scotland aged 16 years and over who have previously served in the UK armed forces. The ‘non-veteran population’ describes usual residents in Scotland aged 16 years and over who have not previously served or are still currently serving in the UK armed forces.
Contact
Email: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot
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