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Occasional Paper

Scotland's Census 2001 - Statistics on Travel to Work or Study

Definitions

Urban/rural classification

The classification used in this paper is the six-fold urban/rural classification for 2001 used in the Scottish Household Survey.  This is based on settlement size and remoteness (measured by drive times).  Areas have been classified as follows:

• Large urban areas – the city conurbations of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee (settlements of 125,000 population and over).

• Other urban areas – settlements of at least 10,000 and less than 125,000 population.

• Accessible small towns – settlements of at least 3,000 and less than 10,000 population which are within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.

• Remote small towns – settlements of at least 3,000 and less than 10,000 population which are more than 30 minutes drive from a settlement of 10,000 or more.

• Accessible rural – settlements of less than 3,000 population which are within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.

• Remote rural – settlements of less than 3,000 population which are more than 30 minutes drive from a settlement of 10,000 or more.

Isolated houses and hamlets are included in settlements of less than 3,000 people.

People travelling to a place of work or study

The Census in Scotland in 2001 asked people to provide details of where they travelled to for their main job or course of study (including school).  While similar questions were asked in the Censuses in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, the questions in these countries only asked about travel to a place of work and not a place of study.

Respondents in Scotland could tick one of the five boxes to indicate that they either:

• Were not working or studying.

• Were working or studying mainly at or from home.

• Had no fixed place of employment / study.

• Were working on an offshore installation, for which they needed to provide details of where they travelled offshore from (e.g. Aberdeen).

• Were working or studying at a particular address, for which they were then required to write in as full an address as possible.

People who, at the time of the Census, travelled to more than one place of work or study (e.g. a full-time student at university who also had a part-time job), were asked to provide details for the place where they spent the most time.

Means of travel to place of work or study

In the 2001 Census, people who worked or studied away from home were also asked to provide details of the mode of transport they used to get to their place of work or study.  Respondents were required to tick only one box to indicate the mode used for the longest part (in distance) of their usual journey to work or study.

“Daytime population”

The term “daytime” population, which is used at various points in this report, is calculated by subtracting those living in the area but working or studying outside the area, and adding those living outside the area but working or studying inside the area, to the resident population.

Populations covered in this paper

Different tables in this paper cover different sets of the population.  Some examples of the sets used are:

• All people living in Scotland.

• All people who travelled from a Scottish home address to a Scottish address of work or study.

• People aged 16-74 who travelled between Scottish addresses.

• People working but not studying (i.e. not full-time students) who travelled between Scottish addresses.

• All people living in households who travelled between Scottish addresses.

Students whose home address was different from their term-time address were counted, in the 2001 Census, as travelling from their term-time address.  By contrast, in 1991, students were enumerated at their home address.

People

In the 2001 Census, information was collected only on “usual residents”.  A usual resident at an address is generally defined as someone who spends most of their time living at that address.  It includes:

• People who usually live at the address but are temporarily away from home (on holiday, visiting friends or relatives or temporarily in a hospital or similar establishment) on Census Day.

• A spouse or partner who works away from home for part of the time, or is a member of the armed forces.

• Students at their term-time address.

• A baby born before 30th April 2001, even if he/she is still in hospital.

• People present on Census Day, even if temporarily, who have no other usual address.

However, it does not include:

• Anyone present at an address on Census Day whose “usual” address is elsewhere.

• Anyone away from their home address, living in a special establishment such as a residential home, nursing home or hospital for six months or more (such people are enumerated as usually resident at the special establishment).

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