Scottish Government

Rural Scotland Key Facts 2004

People and Communities • Services and Lifestyle• Economy and Enterprise

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Introduction

Rural Scotland is different from the rest of Scotland but there are also differences within rural Scotland, for example between accessible and remote areas. The purpose of this leaflet is to summarise the key facts related to rural Scotland in order to provide a picture of the lives of people its people. Improving the evidence base on rural Scotland will assist us in moving towards our vision of rural Scotland: a rural Scotland where everyone matters.

What do we mean by rural Scotland?

Rural Scotland is defined as settlements with a population of less than 3,000. By analysing drive times to larger settlements we can divide rural Scotland into:

Accessible rural: those with a less than 30 minute drive time to the nearest settlement with a population of 10,000 or more

Remote rural: those with a greater than 30 minute drive time to the nearest settlement with a population of 10,000 or more

These definitions form part of the Scottish Executive's urban rural classification. The map opposite shows the full classification. Accessible rural areas are shown in a light purple colour and remote rural areas are shown in a light yellow colour.

In order to highlight differences between rural Scotland and the rest of Scotland, this report combines the first four categories into the Rest of Scotland figures. The rest of Scotland therefore includes large urban areas, other urban areas, accessible small towns and remote small towns.

Further information on the Scottish Executive urban rural classification 2003/04 is available on the Scottish Executive website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/rural/seurc-00.asp

People and Communities

Population

Just over 5 million people live in Scotland, with almost 1 million of them living in rural areas. Figure 1 shows that rural Scotland accounts for almost 20% of the population.

The age distribution of the population differs between rural areas and the rest of Scotland. Figure 2 shows that the proportion of the population in the age band 15 to 19 dips sharply for rural areas relative to the rest of Scotland - suggesting that younger people are leaving rural areas. From age band 50 to 54, the line for remote rural Scotland is above the other two, suggesting that there is more of an ageing population in remote rural Scotland than in other areas.

Households

Table 1: Household type by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on number of households)

Table 1 shows that, relative to the rest of Scotland, accessible and remote rural Scotland have lower proportions of single adult households. Relative to the rest of Scotland, rural Scotland as a whole also has a higher proportion of households with 'older adults' that is, two adults with one or both of pensionable age.

Table 2: Number of people within households by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on number of households)

Table 2 shows that, relative to the rest of Scotland, there are higher proportions of households in accessible and remote rural areas with a household size of 2 or more and there are fewer single person households in rural Scotland.

Neighbourhood

Figure 3 shows that, relative to the rest of Scotland, a higher proportion of people in rural Scotland rate their neighbourhood as very good.

Aspects of neighbourhood particularly liked

• When asked to identify which aspects of their neighbourhood they particularly liked, residents in rural Scotland were more likely than residents in the rest of Scotland to identify the following factors:
  • Quiet/peaceful
  • Good outlook/view
  • Safe/low crime
• When asked to identify which aspects of their neighbourhood they particularly liked, residents in rural Scotland were less likely than residents in the rest of Scotland to identify the following factors:
  • Convenient shop/amenities
  • Good public transport

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population)

Aspects of neighbourhood particularly disliked

• When asked to identify which aspects of their neighbourhood they particularly disliked, residents in rural Scotland were more likely than residents in the rest of Scotland to identify the following factors:
  • Poor public transport
  • Poor local leisure facilities
• When asked to identify which aspects of their neighbourhood they particularly disliked, residents in rural Scotland were less likely than residents in the rest of Scotland to identify the following factors:
  • Vandalism
  • Parking problems

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population)

Table 3: Experience of neighbourhood problems by geographic location (% saying each is very or fairly common), 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population)

Table 3 shows that experience of groups of young people hanging about is less of a problem in remote rural areas than in other parts of Scotland.

Table 4: Perceptions of safety when at home alone at night by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population)

Table 4 shows that, relative to the rest of Scotland, more people in rural Scotland perceive it to be very safe at home alone at night.

Role in the community

Table 5: Whether gave up time to help as an organiser/volunteer in the past 12 months by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population)

Table 5 shows that people in rural Scotland are more likely to give up their time doing volunteering than those in the rest of Scotland.

Services and Lifestyle

Access

Figure 4 shows that nearly 20% of people in remote rural Scotland are more than 15 minutes drive away from their GP. Access to petrol stations is a particular problem in remote rural areas.

Table 6: Households with home internet access by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on number of households)

Table 6 shows that households in rural Scotland are more likely to have home internet access than those in the rest of Scotland.

Table 7: Households recycling items in the past month by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on number of households)
Note: Columns add to more than 100% since multiple responses are allowed

Table 7 shows that rural households are more likely to recycle. Households that did not recycle, were asked to give a reason why. Rural households were most likely to identify that:

• Facilities were too far away (23% accessible rural, 26% remote rural)
• No facilities available (35% accessible rural, 23% remote rural)
• Don't know/never thought about it (16% accessible rural, 26% remote rural)

Travel patterns

Table 8: Number of cars normally available for private use by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on number of households)

Table 8 shows that rural households have greater access to cars than those in the rest of Scotland.

Residents in rural Scotland are more likely than those in the rest of Scotland to spend over 100 per month on fuel for their cars. This is particularly true in accessible rural Scotland with 31% of respondents indicating that they spend over 100 per month on fuel, 24% of respondents in remote rural Scotland spend over 100 a month, with only 17% of respondents in the rest of Scotland indicating that they spent over 100 per month.
Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on households with access to at least one vehicle)

Table 9: How adults usually travel to work/education by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adults in work or education, excluding those who work from home)

Table 9 shows that people in rural areas are more likely to drive to work/education than people in the rest of Scotland.

Figure 5 shows that children in rural areas are more likely to travel to school by bus than those in the rest of Scotland.

Childcare and Education

Table 10: Proportion of children attending pre-school education or childcare (all providers) by geographic location, 2003

Source: Pre-school and childcare statistics 2004

% figures are based on the proportion of children in the relevant age group

Table 10 shows that, for all the services for the age group 0 to 14, fewer parents use childcare in rural areas than in the rest of Scotland.

Table 11: Qualifications held by geographic location, 2003

Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2003 (based on adult population 16-64 age)
Note: Columns add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed

Table 11 shows that a higher proportion of adults in rural areas hold professional qualifications than in the rest of Scotland.

Housing

Figure 6 shows that more people own their homes in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland. Renting from social landlords is less common in rural Scotland relative to the rest of Scotland.

Figure 7 shows that the houses in rural Scotland tend to be detached or semi-detached unlike the rest of Scotland.

Economy and Enterprise

Industry significance

Figure 8 shows that the primary sectors (agriculture, forestry, fishing and energy) are the most significant industries in remote rural areas. Financial services is the most important industry in the rest of Scotland and the second most important industry in the accessible rural areas.

Economic activity

Figure 9 shows that inactivity rates (those neither in employment nor unemployed) are lower in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland. The main reasons for being economically inactive are long term sickness or disability and looking after family. The employment rate (the number of people employed as a proportion of the total population of working age) is higher in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland.

Of those employed, self-employment is higher in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland (15% in accessible rural, 17% in remote rural, 8% in the rest of Scotland, figures not shown).

Figure 9 shows that the unemployment rate (the number of people unemployed as a proportion of the number of economically active) is lowest in accessible rural areas.

Income

Figure 10 presents net household income figures (for head of household and partner) by geographic area. The income figures include income from employment, benefits and other sources (after taxation and other deductions). The figures indicate that, relative to other areas, there is a higher proportion of households in accessible rural areas with a net annual household income of over 20,000.

Size of firms

Figure 11 shows that small businesses (those with 0-49 employees) account for a higher proportion of businesses in both accessible and remote rural areas than in the rest of Scotland.

Business start-up rates

Table 12: Enterprise start-ups by geographic location

Source: Inter Departmental Business Register 2002

Table 12 shows that relative to the rest of Scotland the start up rates per head of population are higher in rural areas. The main reason for this is the lower population in rural areas. The rates per 1,000 firms are lower in rural areas than in the rest of Scotland reflecting the smaller size of the business stock.

The legal status of small and medium sized enterprises differs by geographic location. Those in rural areas are less likely to be companies and are more likely to be sole proprietors.
Source: Inter Departmental Business Register, 2002

In the Omnibus Survey of small and medium sized enterprises, firms were asked about how they perceived the health of their business. The answers across all geographic locations were similar, with over 80% of firms in each area indicating that their business was "Doing really well" or "Fine, but could do better".
Source: Omnibus survey of small businesses in Scotland, rural analysis, 2002.

Enterprises in rural Scotland, particularly those located in remote areas, are less likely to use information technology (IT) than their counterparts in the rest of Scotland. 31% of firms located in remote rural areas do not use IT, compared with 23% in accessible rural areas and 19% in the rest of Scotland.
Source: Omnibus survey of small businesses in Scotland, rural analysis, 2002.

Obstacles to success of business

Figure 12 shows that in remote rural areas, the greatest obstacle to success of a business is perceived to be taxation. In accessible rural areas, the greatest obstacle to success of a business is perceived to be the economic environment. Staffing is more likely to be identified as the greatest obstacle to success by businesses in remote rural areas.

Further information

For further information on any of the tables/figures presented in this leaflet, please contact the Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.
Telephone 0131 244 6948.

For tables/charts sourced from the Scottish Household Survey, the base numbers for households are 1,814 for accessible rural, 1,308 for remote rural and 11,758 for the rest of Scotland. The equivalent base numbers for the adult population based figures are 1,690 for accessible rural, 1,244 for remote rural and 11,034 for the rest of Scotland. There are occasional variations in base sizes for individual tables/figures. Further detail on the base numbers are available in 'Scotland's People: Results from the 2003 Scottish Household Survey'. The sample sizes are smallest for remote rural areas suggesting that there is less precision in the statistics for this area than for the rest of Scotland figures.

For tables/charts sourced from the Inter Departmental Business Register, these figures include all businesses with at least one employee paid under PAYE or with a turnover above 55,000 (these account for about 95% of employment in Scotland).