Census 2011: Release 3N

Detailed characteristics on Scotland’s population

The statistics published today by the Registrar General for Scotland on the Scotland’s Census website present further details on Scotland’s population (Release 3N), from national to local level.

Key points - Release 3N

Highest level of qualification by household composition

• At the time of the 2011 Census, 26 per cent of the 4.3 million people aged 16 and over living in households in Scotland held a degree level or equivalent qualification. This proportion was highest (34 per cent) for the 830,000 people aged 16 and over living in couple family households with no children and lowest (13 per cent) for the 227,000 people aged 16 and over in lone parent family households with dependent children.

• Of those people aged 16 and over in households, 27 per cent had no qualifications. This proportion was highest (59 per cent) for households where all the people in the household were aged 65 or over, followed by lone parent family households where all children in the household were non-dependent (35 per cent).

Household composition by approximated social grade of Household Reference Person [Footnote 1] (HRP)

• In 2011, 28 per cent of the 1.8 million HRPs in Scotland aged 16 to 64 were categorised as approximated social grade DE (‘Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers; on state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers’). Just under half (49 per cent) of the 227,000 lone parent HRPs fell into this category.

Distance travelled to work by car or van availability

• In 2011, a total of 2.4 million people aged 16 to 74 in households in Scotland were in employment (excluding full-time students). Of these people, 11 per cent (255,000) worked mainly at or from home.

• For the 2.1 million people who travelled to work, 74 per cent of those in households with no car or van available travelled less than 10km to their workplace, compared with 60 per cent of those in households with one car or van available and 47 per cent of those in households with two or more cars or vans available.  Conversely, the proportion of people who travelled 30km or more to their workplace was higher for people in households with two or more cars or vans available (10 per cent) than for those in households with one car or van available (7 per cent) or with no cars or vans available (4 per cent).

Family status by number of parents working by dependent children in family by economic activity

• In 2011, there were 1.0 million parents aged 16 and over in Scotland with dependent children. Of these, 79 per cent were in employment (including 27 per cent in part-time employment), 5 per cent were unemployed, 10 per cent were categorised as ‘economically inactive: looking after home or family’ and 7 per cent were otherwise economically inactive (for example, long-term sick or disabled).

• Of the 111,000 lone parents in employment who had dependent children, 59 per cent worked part-time. Of the 79,000 lone parents not in employment, 25 per cent were unemployed, while 41 per cent were categorised as ‘economically inactive: looking after home or family’, 16 per cent as ‘economically inactive: long-term sick or disabled’ and 17 per cent as otherwise economically inactive.

• Of the 46,000 parents in couple families with dependent children where neither parent was in employment, 25 per cent were unemployed and 75 per cent were economically inactive. 

Long-term health conditions by ethnic group

• At the time of the 2011 Census, 30 per cent of Scotland’s population had  one or more long-term health conditions. This proportion was highest for the ‘White: Gypsy/traveller’ ethnic group (37 per cent) and lowest for the ‘White: Polish’ ethnic group (9 per cent).

The tables of census results covered in Release 3N are listed below. They are a mixture of ‘Detailed Characteristics’ (DC), ‘Local Characteristics’ (LC) and ‘Quick Statistics’ (QS) tables. DC versions of tables include the most complex cross-tabulations and are therefore not available at smaller geographic areas (generally available down to postcode sectors). LC versions of tables include less complex cross-tabulations and are therefore available down to the lowest geographic levels (generally census output areas). In some instances, no LC version of a table is produced as a statistical disclosure control measure. Similarly, the DC version of some tables is produced for council areas only.

Tables included in Release 3N