Census 2011: Release 3M

Detailed characteristics on Transport in Scotland

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

Key points - Release 3M

Travel to work

• In 2011, a total of 2.4 million people aged 16 to 74 in Scotland were in employment (excluding full-time students). Of these people, 11 per cent (260,000) worked mainly at or from home. Just under a third (32 per cent) of people aged 16 to 74 in the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) category of ‘Small employers and own account workers’ worked at or mainly from home.
• Of the 2.1 million people who did not work at or mainly from home, 36 per cent travelled less than 5km to their workplace, 43 per cent between 5km and 30km and 8 per cent 30km or more. A further 12 per cent had no fixed place of work, worked on an offshore installation or worked outside the UK. 
• The proportion of people who travelled up to 5km to their workplace was higher for females (43 per cent) than for males (30 per cent). Conversely, the proportion of people who travelled 30km or more to their workplace was higher for males (10 per cent) than for females (6 per cent). The proportion of people in the NS-SeC category of ‘Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations’ who travelled 30km or more to their workplace was 15 per cent for males and 12 per cent for females.  
• The proportion of males aged 16 to 74 in employment who had no fixed place of work, worked on an offshore installation or worked outside the UK was 18 per cent; the corresponding proportion for females was 6 per cent. 

Travel to study

• Information is available from the 2011 Census on the method of travel and distance travelled to place of study for the 872,000 people aged 4 and over who were studying [Footnote 1], excluding those who studied at or mainly from home. 
• The great majority (88 per cent) of children aged 4 to 11 travelled less than 5km to school, including 72 per cent who travelled less than 2km. Just under three quarters (74 per cent) of children aged 12 to 15 travelled less than 5km to school, including 42 per cent who travelled less than 2km. Just over half (51 per cent) of people aged 18 and over who were studying travelled less than 5km to their place of study. 
• Of the 430,000 people who travelled less than 2 km to their place of study, 73 per cent went by foot, 6 per cent by bus and 17 per cent as a passenger in a car or van. 
• Of the 428,000 people who travelled 2km or more to their place of study, 31 per cent did so as a car driver or passenger, 43 per cent travelled by bus and 7 per cent travelled by train.  Just over half (52 per cent) of people who travelled 5km up to 10km to their place of study went by bus, while just over a fifth (21 per cent) of those who travelled 30km or more went by train. 

Travel to work or study

• In 2011, 43 per cent of the 1.6 million households in Scotland with at least one person working or studying [Footnote 2] reported they had one car or van available, while a further 37 per cent had two or more cars or vans available. A fifth (20 per cent) had no cars or vans available. 
• Of the 411,000 households who had one person working or studying and at least one car or van available, 63 per cent of those people drove to their place of work or study, 24 per cent went by some other method of transport and 13 per cent worked or studied mainly at or from home. In 82 per cent of the 873,000 households with two or more people working or studying and at least one car or van available, at least one person drove to their place of work or study. 

Households with a person with a long-term health problem or disability and their age by number of unpaid carers in household and economic activity

• In 2011, 28 per cent (664,000) of the 2.4 million households in Scotland contained one person with a long-term health problem or disability that limited their day-to-day activities. In 42 per cent (280,000) of these households, the person with a long-term health problem or disability was aged 65 or over. 
• Of the 664,000 households with one person with a long-term health problem or disability, 17 per cent had one unpaid carer living in the household and 5 per cent had two or more unpaid carers. For households where the person with the long-term health problem or disability was aged under 16, 31 per cent had one unpaid carer living in the household (including 16 per cent where the carer was economically inactive) and 25 per cent had two or more unpaid carers. 
• Seven per cent (158,000) of households contained two or more persons with a long-term health problem or disability. Just over half (52 per cent) of these households had one or more unpaid carer living in the household, including 26 per cent with one unpaid carer who was economically inactive and 18 per cent with two or more unpaid carers.

Communal establishment type by resident type and whether or not resident one year ago

• Of the 92,000 residents of communal establishments in Scotland at the time of the 2011 Census, 47 per cent (43,000) lived at the same establishment one year before. 
• The proportion of communal establishment residents who lived in the same establishment one year before was highest for adult care homes (77 per cent), boarding schools (61 per cent) and hospitals (60 per cent). It was lowest for university halls of residence (10 per cent) and hostels for the homeless (21 per cent). 

The tables of census results covered in Release 3M are listed below. They are a mixture of ‘Detailed Characteristics’ (DC) and ‘Local Characteristics’ (LC) 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 3M