Number of Scottish households jumps 11 per cent in 16 years as PRS grows threefold

Published today, the 2015 Scottish Household Survey is a continuous poll based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. The wide-ranging survey has been designed to provide reliable and up-to-date information on the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviour of Scottish households and individuals since 1999.

It found that the total number of households in Scotland increased by 11 per cent from 2.19m in 1999 to 2.43 million in 2015.

The percentage of households in owner occupation grew from 61 per cent in 1999 to 66 per cent in 2005, but then declined between 2009 and 2014 to 60 per cent, and in 2015 was around the same level at 61 per cent.

The proportion of households in the private rented sector grew steadily from 5 per cent in 1999 to 14 per cent in 2015, an almost threefold increase in the number of households.

The percentage of households in the social rented sector declined from 32 per cent in 1999 to 23 per cent in 2007, and has remained at around 23 per cent of all households since.

More than half (56 per cent) of adults rated their neighbourhood as a very good place to live in 2015. This continues the trend of consistently high ratings since the survey began in 1999 with over 90 per cent of adults rating their neighbourhood as a very or fairly good place to live.

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of all adults felt a very or fairly strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood in 2015, however this varied according to age, ethnic group and deprivation. The majority of adults in Scotland indicated that they would assist neighbours in an emergency (74 per cent) and could rely on those around them for advice and support (63 per cent).

Most potential neighbourhood problems are not considered to be particularly common. In 2015, the most prevalent issue cited was animal nuisance (e.g. noise or fouling) which was reported as being very or fairly common by 31 per cent of adults.

Other key findings from the report show that most people participated in sport and exercise and engaged in some type of cultural activity in 2015, whilst around a quarter volunteered. Around a half of households were positive about their finances.