BSPS Conference 2009: Developments in household information in Scotland

1. BSPS Conference 2009: Developments in household information in Scotland Martin Macfie, General Register Office for Scotland 11 September 2009

2. Outline of presentation • Statistics we currently publish • Reasons for investigating alternative sources of household statistics • Electoral Register • Corporate Address Gazetteers (CAGs) • National Gazetteer for Scotland

3. Statistics currently published Estimates of Households and Dwellings • A combined publication- contains local authority (LA) and small-area statistics on households and dwellings • What are dwellings and households?

4. Dwellings Based on Assessors’ Portal (equivalent to the Valuation Office Agency in England and Wales) • Numbers of dwellings • Dwelling density per hectare • Council Tax Bands • Type of Dwelling (e.g. flats) • Number of Rooms

5. Household Estimates Based on Council Tax Systems • Occupied Dwellings • Vacant Dwellings • Second Homes • Single Adult Discounts • “Occupied Exemptions” (e.g. all student households, armed forces accommodation)

6. Reasons for investigating alternative sources of household statistics • Currently, we base most of our statistics on Council Tax records • Council Tax could be abolished after next Scottish Parliament election (2011) - we will lose most of our household data • Also as an alternative to Census

7. Two main approaches to producing household statistics • Population data – find a source of data on all people in the country, along with their address or Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) – e.g. Electoral Register • Housing data - find a source of information on all dwellings – e.g. Corporate Address Gazetteer (Households ≈ All dwellings – (vacant dwellings + Second homes))

8. Investigations of the Electoral Register • Adults aged 18+ registered to vote in election with their home address • Address ≈ Household

9. Proportions of the numbers of households on the Electoral Register to Occupied dwellings, by Urban-rural classification

10. Proportions of the numbers of households on the Electoral Register to Occupied dwellings, by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) decile Less deprived areas More deprived areas

11. Households on the Electoral Register as a proportion of the number of occupied dwellings in Edinburgh, 2007 B D C A

12. Corporate Address Gazetteers (CAGs) • Intended to be a combination of all different address lists that each local authority holds. • Contains information on residential properties • Received CAG directly from City of Edinburgh Council

13. Addresses on the CAG as a proportion of all dwellings in Edinburgh, 2009 A C B

14. National Gazetteer for Scotland • Consists of a Corporate Address Gazetteer (CAG) from each LA • Still doesn’t contain information on residential properties yet • We can access data for most LAs • Data quality improving all the time

15. Summary of alternative sources of household statistics ELECTORAL REGISTER • Info on occupied dwellings, but missing data in most neighbourhoods CORPORATE ADDRESS GAZETTEER • Better coverage of residential properties, no info at the moment on occupied and vacant dwellings

16. Any questions? • We would welcome any comments or suggestions- please contact Martin at martin.macfie@gro-scotland.gsi.gov.uk Telephone: (0131) 314 4359