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Title:
Scottish Household Survey, 2005-2006

Subject Categories:
Scottish Household Survey - Major studies
General - Education
Health services and medical care - Health
Housing
Social indicators and quality of life - Society and culture
Use and provision of specific social services - Social welfare policy and systems
Travel and transport

Depositor(s):
Scottish Government

Principal Investigator(s):
Ipsos MORI Scotland
TNS Social Research
Scottish Government

Sponsor(s):
Scottish Government

Abstract:
The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) is a continuous survey based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. It is financed by the Scottish Government (previously the Scottish Executive) and undertaken by a partnership between TNS Social Research (formerly NFO Social Research) and Ipsos MORI Scotland (formerly MORI Scotland).

The aim of the survey is to provide representative information about the composition, characteristics and behaviours of Scottish households, both nationally and at a more local level. The survey covers a wide range of topics to allow links to be made between different policy areas, with a particular focus on information to aid policy decisions on transport and social inclusion.

Further information about the survey series, and links to publications, can be found on the Scottish Government's Scottish Household Survey web pages.


For the second edition (January 2008), data from the 2006 wave of the SHS was added to the study, and the documentation updated accordingly. Subsequently, four variables, HK1A to HK1D (covering household insurance) in the main 2005-2006 data file, were replaced with new versions during February 2008, to correct previously erroneous values. Users who downloaded the dataset before 19 February 2008 are advised to download a replacement copy.
Main Topics:
Main survey:
The main survey questionnaire is in two parts. Householders or their spouses/partners complete Part 1 of the interview. Once the composition of the household has been established, one of the adults in the household is randomly selected to complete Part 2. In all households with a single adult the same person completes both parts, but as the number of adults in the household increases, the probability of the random adult being the same as the household respondent declines. The household section of the interview deals with topics such as household composition, housing and tenure, health, the vehicles available to the household, the occupation and industry of the highest income householder, household income and housing costs. The 'random adult' section deals with individuals' housing change, tenure change, neighbourhood problems, transport and use of public transport, public services, income and employment.

Travel Diary:
In addition to the main questionnaire, the travel diary collects information about personal travel on the day prior to the interview. One randomly chosen adult per household in the sample is selected to complete the travel diary. The 'journey' and 'stage' files compiled from the travel diary provide information on the means of transport used, purposes for which people travel, distances that they cover, start and end times of trips, duration of journeys, car occupancy, council area of the journey start and destination locations, and days of the week that adults travel. The 'home to work' and 'home to school' files provide information on the estimated straight line distance ('as the crow flies') in kilometres from home to work or home to school. For further information, see documentation.

Standard measures:
The survey uses many of the harmonised questions for government social surveys.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: 03 January 2005-24 January 2007
All interviews were carried out using the sample compiled in 2005. However, some of the fieldwork extended into early 2007. See documentation for further details.
Country: Scotland
Spatial Units: Main file: Local Authority Areas. Variables covering local authority of place of work, journey staring point and journey destination are also included in the travel diary files.
Observation Units: Individuals; Families/households
Kind of Data: Textual data; Numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Households and individual adults within households in Scotland.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Repeated cross-sectional study
Sampling Procedures: Simple random sample; Multi-stage stratified random sample
Random adult sample
Number of Units: 31,013 cases
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)
Weighting: Weighting used. See documentation for details

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 18 April 2007
Latest Edition: 21 January 2008 ( 2nd Edition )

Copyright:
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland

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