Data

Travel to Work and Other Purposes


Description

Detailed statistics on what mode of transport people usually use to get to work and education, as well as the percentage of total journeys which people make for a given purpose and children's mode of travel to school (from the Scottish Household Survey). These estimates are from the Scottish Household Survey Travel Diary, which asks adult respondents about all the journeys which they made the previous day, as well as information about the mode, purpose, duration and length of these journeys. The proportion of people who travel to work by public or active travel is a National Indicator in the Scotland Performs framework. Estimates from the Scottish Household Survey are updated annually in Transport and Travel in Scotland. SHS estimates are National Statistics and provide figures which are representative of households and individuals in Scotland annually. The SHS has an annual sample size of around 10,000 individuals and, since 2012, has operated with a fully unclustered sample design.

Due to the Covid pandemic there was a smaller sample size for the SHS survey in 2020. We are therefore not be able to provide 2020 data broken down in as many ways as usual. For example, we are not able to provide data for individual local authorities. Due to changes in the survey in response to covid-19, 2021 data is not directly comparable with previous years.


Metadata

Theme Transport
OrganisationTransport Scotland
License UK Open Government Licence (OGL)
Published
Last updated
Next update1 Mar 2027
Update frequencyannual
Reference period1999 to 2024
Geographic coverageCouncil Areas, Country
Contacttranstat@transport.gov.scot

Data quality

Completeness

A glossary of terms used in the Scottish Household Survey is available in the annual report A glossary of terms used in the Scottish Household Survey is available in the SHS annual report.

Uniqueness

Not assessed

Consistency

The Scottish Government conducts several major population surveys that are used to inform the policy debate in Scotland and in some instances the surveys can be complementary. The Long-Term Survey Strategy 2018-2022, of which the SHS is a central element, aims to ensure that the Scottish Government's population surveys continue to meet key information needs while maximising the analytical potential of the data they generate. A guide is available providing more information on Scotland's surveys.

Timeliness

This dataset will be updated annually.

Validity

The SHS is designed to provide reliable and up-to-date information on the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviour of private households and individuals, both nationally and at a sub-national level and to examine the physical condition of Scotland's homes. It covers a wide range of topics to allow links to be made between different policy areas.

Accuracy

Some tables include missing values. This is where the count on which percentages would be calculated is less than 50 and this data is judged to be insufficiently robust for publication.

Quality management

Full details of the methodology and fieldwork outcomes for the Scottish Household Survey can be accessed at the Scottish Household Survey Methodology and Fieldwork Outcomes.


Additional details

Revisions

The Scottish Household Survey is not subject to scheduled revision. Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the Scottish Government website

Confidentiality policy

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) complies with statistical disclosure control principles and the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. It is therefore not possible to calculate how many respondents gave a certain answer based on the results of this survey.