This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Scottish Household Survey
29/07/2002
The latest in a series of results from the Scottish Household Survey were released today.
Scottish Household Survey Bulletin No. 8 explores housing in Scotland. In particular, it provides a profile of the housing stock, covering property types and tenure profile and how these vary across Scotland. It looks at the occupants of housing and how they vary across housing types, neighbourhoods and tenures. It also looks at housing costs, housing problems and neighbourhood issues. The results are based on nationally representative data collected from over 15,000 households and 14,000 individuals during 2001.
The multi-purpose survey has been commissioned by the Scottish Executive to provide accurate, up-to-date information on the characteristics, composition and behaviour of Scottish households in a number of key policy areas, particularly relating to transport and social justice.
Some of the key findings from the eighth bulletin include:
Profile of housing in Scotland
* Across Scotland as a whole, 20per cent of private households live in a detached house, 22per cent in a semi-detached house, 22per cent in a terraced house, and 36per cent in a flat or maisonette.
* Thirty-six per cent of households and 26per cent of the population resident in private households live in flats.
* Sixty-three per cent of Scottish households are owner-occupiers, 29per cent are social renters and 6per cent rent from a private landlord.
Profile of housing tenure occupants
* Households that own their property outright are most likely to contain either a non-working single person or a non-working couple.
* Households that are buying their property with the help of a loan/mortgage tend to contain more people - over half are either small family, large family or large adult households, and therefore contain three or more people.
* More households that rent from a local authority/Scottish Homes (53per cent) or housing association/co-operatives (54per cent) contain a non-working single adult compared with just 5per cent of households who are buying their property.
* Single adult and small adult households account for the majority of private renters.
Housing problems
* Three per cent of adults who are currently resident in private households have been homeless at some point in their lives.
* One per cent of households share rooms with other households.
Housing costs
* Among all mortgage payers, the average household spends 15per cent of their income on housing costs, with the top fifth spending over 23per cent and the bottom fifth spending under 9per cent on their housing.
* Renters pay a higher proportion of their total income on housing than owner occupiers. The median percentage of income spent on housing is 23per cent, with the bottom fifth paying under 14per cent of their income on housing and the top fifth paying over 34per cent on their housing.
The majority of social renters receive housing benefit.
Housing and neighbourhood issues
* Overall 8per cent of adults have been living in their current accommodation for less than one year. Among those living in private rented accommodation, the proportion who have been living in their accommodation for less than a year increases to 44per cent.
* Less than 10per cent of adults have had a dispute or problem with a neighbour in the past 12 months. Households with children have a higher incidence of neighbour disputes.
* Higher proportion of adults who rent their properties have been victims of burglary and physical assault than of adults who own or are buying their properties.
* Overall, 87per cent of adults live in properties with smoke alarms
The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) is a continuous, multi-purpose survey which started in February 1999 and is being carried out on behalf of the Scottish Executive by NFO System Three and MORI Scotland. The survey is based on a random sample of private households in Scotland.
The results presented in this report are based on face-to-face interviews which took place between January and December 2001 (inclusive) and collected information from 15,071 households.
Copies of Scottish Household Survey Bulletin No. 8, NFO System Three and MORI Scotland, are available from The Stationery Office Bookshop, 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9AZ (tel: 0870 606 55 66), priced £5 (ISBN: 0755904983)