This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Social focus on urban rural Scotland
22/05/2003
A statistical compendium exploring the similarities and differences between people living in urban, rural and remote areas of Scotland across a number of social issues was published today.
Including over 80 tables and charts, Social Focus on Urban Rural Scotland 2003 is intended as an introduction to urban, rural and remote issues. The publication includes a range of results:
Population and Housing
81 per cent of people live in urban areas (settlements of 3,000 or more people).
Primary and Secondary Education
Pupil attainment within rural and remote schools is slightly higher than attainment within the more urban areas.
Health and Care
Across both urban and rural areas, some 80 per cent of people visited their GPs one or more times over a 12 month period.
Neighbourhoods: Perceptions and Participation
Throughout Scotland people most appreciated the 'quiet and peaceful' aspect of their neighbourhood. Almost 50 per cent of people in large urban areas cited this aspect, rising to some 75 per cent in rural areas.
Transport
People in rural areas have greater access to cars (some 80 per cent), compared to those living in large urban areas (some 54 per cent).
Labour Market
Of those in employment, people in rural and remote areas are more likely to be self-employed (13 -17 per cent depending on area type, compared to 9 per cent for the whole of Scotland)
Income and Financial Services
A higher proportion of people living in rural areas have a bank account (93 per cent in rural areas compared to 86 per cent throughout Scotland).
The Scottish Executive core definition of rurality classifies settlements of 3,000 or fewer people to be rural. Accessibility and remoteness to other settlements and services is also an important factor to take into account and the Scottish Household Survey classification expands on the core classification by considering the 'drivetimes' between smaller settlements and rural areas and larger settlements. These two classifications are adopted within the publication.
Large Urban Areas - Settlements of over 125,000 people.
Other Urban Areas - Settlements of 10,000 to 125,000 people. Accessible Small Towns - Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more. Remote Small Towns - Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more. Accessible Rural - Settlements of less than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.
Remote Rural - Settlements of less than 3,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more.
Social Focus draws statistics from a number of sources including the Scottish Household Survey, the 2001 Census, the Labour Force Survey and also a range of administrative sources.
Social Focus adds to the ongoing Statistical Service objective to improve the range of statistics and analysis produced for users inside and outside of government. Social focus will add to the evidential base on urban, rural and remote Scotland. This Social Focus compendium publication is the third in a series of social statistics publications, with Social Focus on Women and Men and Scottish Social Statistics being published in 2002 and 2001 respectively.
This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.