Scottish Government

Improve people's perceptions of their neighbourhood

DESCRIPTION:

This indicator shows the percentage of adults who rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live.

SOURCE:

This data is from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS), a large, continuous survey conducted throughout Scotland. The SHS is a National Statistics product. Scottish Government are the owners of the data.

Updates will be available from annual SHS reports, generally in September of each year. The SHS Website is at http://www.gov.scot/SHS

This indicator is an indirect measure of neighbourhood satisfaction through the survey question 'Thinking now about the neighbourhood you live in, how would you rate it as a place to live?'. The rating that residents give to their neighbourhoods is a good indication of how satisfied they are with them, overall, as places to live. Rating by residents will allow for the different attributes that different types of resident look for in their local neighbourhood.

The indicator's value is calculated as follows: Number of people who respond 'very good' / Total adult population (based on SHS). The unit of measurement is the percentage of all random adults surveyed who respond 'very good' to this question.

From 2012, local authority level data is available annually (previously, biennially).  Estimates are subject to sampling error and, particularly for small councils, will give only a broad indication of change at local authority level. Some councils may choose to gather similar data through local surveys of their residents though differences in data collection methods may make comparisons of these data difficult.

DEFINITIONS:

Neighbourhood is defined as "the street you live in and the streets nearby" (in urban areas) and as "the local area" (in rural areas).

BASELINE AND PAST TRENDS:

The baseline year is 2006 as this is the last data point before the start of the first term of the current administration. The baseline figure is 51.1%.

Percentage of adults who rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live:

CRITERIA FOR RECENT CHANGE ARROW:

The evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 1.5 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.

Please note: The criteria for this indicator changed before the 2014 data point was assessed. This was because, using Scottish Household Survey data where the figure is around the 50th percentile, a change of around 1.5 percentage points is likely to be statistically significant and not due to sampling error. Given this, the Technical Assessment Group decided that a threshold of 1.5 percentage point is more appropriate for this indicator than the previous threshold of 0.5 percentage points. This would not have had an effect on the current performance assessment.

For information on general methodological approach, please click here.

FUTURE ISSUES OR REVIEWS:

From January 2012, a new Scottish Household Survey (SHS) went in to the field which had a substantially restructured sample design and integrated the previous Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS). The overall sample size reduced from around 14,000 household interviews to about 11,000 though improvements in efficiency of the survey design mean it is possible to produce local authority estimates on an annual basis where sample sizes permits. While the overall sample size of the survey has reduced, the survey design improvements has meant that the precision of estimates have not been affected significantly.

The question on disability was changed in quarter 4 of 2012 which has resulted in a break in the time-series for neighbourhood rating and disability from 2013 onwards. 

From 2013 two questions are now asked:

(1) Do you have a physical or mental health condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?

(2) If yes, to what extend does your condition or illness reduce your ability to carry out day to day activities.

ASSOCIATED TARGET:

No associated target.