National Islands Plan Survey
type: Dataset
theme: Population
timeliness: Data for the 2021 survey was collected in 2020, and reported on in 2021. Further surveys of island residents will take place every three years.
validity: The first National Islands Plan Survey was designed to improve the availability of data held about Scotland's islands, measure aspects of the National Islands Plan consistently within and across Scotlandâ€™s island communities, and provide baseline data against which to measure the effectiveness of the Plan.
accuracy: Data is not provided at island level. Rather, nine subregions were defined, and used to calculate the survey sample, based on the combination of subregion, gender and age group. Question and variable names may differ from the exact wordings used in the survey.
consistency: The first National Islands Plan Survey gathered baseline data regarding the objectives set out in the National Islands Plan. Future surveys will enable comparison across years.
uniqueness: Not assessed.
completeness: Findings from the National Islands Plan Survey are presented in the Final Report. There is also an online results explorer that shows tables and charts for each survey question by island region, age group, gender, household income, long term health condition/disability, and household type, which can be found on the [Scottish National Islands Plan Survey results explorer](https://mappingrd342.shinyapps.io/online_tool/).
comment: National Islands Plan Survey
update frequency: annual
license id: uk-ogl
confidentiality: Where the number of responses for a group is less than 5, data have been redacted to ensure confidentiality. The dataset does not include some variables related to personal or demographic characteristics, where there is a risk of potentially disclosing individuals. Some variables in the dataset represent summaries of responses to questions, rather than 'actual' responses to questions.
quality management: Full details of the methodology can be accessed on the Scottish Government publications webpage which hosts a [PDF of the final report](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-islands-plan-survey-final-report/pages/4/). The Scottish Government undertakes quality management checks prior to finalising the dataset for publication
will be updated: true
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  start date: 2021
  end date: 2021
next update: 2023-01-01
description: The National Islands Plan Survey gathered data relating to the National Islands Plan objectives, with a view to: * improving the availability of data held about Scotland's islands * measuring aspects of the National Islands Plan consistently within and across Scotland's island communities * providing baseline data against which to measure the effectiveness of the Plan The National Islands Plan Survey gathers the views of island residents to improve the islands' evidence base and help measure progress towards the Plan's strategic objectives. The survey can be found on the Scottish Government Publications webpage which hosts a [PDF version of the questionnaire](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2021/07/national-islands-plan-survey-final-report/documents/national-islands-plan-survey-questionnaire/national-islands-plan-survey-questionnaire/govscot%3Adocument/national-islands-plan-survey-questionnaire.pdf).
version notes: Not assessed
issued: 2026-08-19T15:34:08.939057
modified: 2026-08-20T08:41:53.555921
contact point: Organization
contact point: Kind

Population
type: Concept

Scottish Government
type: Agent

National Islands Plan Survey 2021.csv
type: Distribution
comment: National Islands Plan Survey
description: Data file for National Islands Plan Survey
format: CSV
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/d1ac1f17-59e3-4730-902f-bcdc676fc48e/download
issued: 2026-08-20T08:41:53.581837
modified: 2026-08-20T08:41:53.572158