Overview of key data sources: Scottish Social Attitudes Survey

Organisation Responsible: Scottish Centre for Social Research.

Background and purpose: The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA) is undertaken by ScotCen and began in 1999, when it also doubled as the Scottish Parliamentary Election Study. Its aim is to provide independent, authoritative, high quality data on social and political attitudes in Scotland. These data help inform public policy and facilitate the academic study of public opinion, in much the same way that the British Social Attitudes Survey has done since 1983 across Britain as a whole. The surveys are similar in design and contain some of the same questions so that comparisons can be made between Scotland, England and Wales.

Survey years / frequency: The survey is conducted annually with 1999 the first in the series.

Survey content: SSA has a modular structure. In any one year it will typically contain four or five modules, each with 40 questions. Funding for its first two years came from the Economic and Social Research Council, while from 2001 onwards different bodies have funded each year's individual modules. These bodies have included the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scottish Government and various charitable and grant awarding bodies, such as the Nuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust. The survey focuses mainly on people's attitudes, but also collects details of their behaviour patterns, household circumstances and work. To date, topics have included national identity, constitutional change, public spending and social welfare, alcohol, sex, transport, and religion.

Target population: Adults (18 years and over) resident in Scotland.

Sample size: Stratified, clustered, random sample of 1500-1600 adults living in private households in Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands. The sample is obtained from the Postal Address File. Only one person is interviewed in each household.

Response rate: In 2007, 58% of the sample was interviewed and 50% returned the self-completion form.

Method of data collection: An hour-long face-to-face Computer Assisted Personal Interview with self-completion supplement for postal return.

Geographical units reported: Scotland, parliamentary constituencies, local authorities or postal district, standard regions, wards and government office regions. From 2002, the survey has contained a boosted rural sample to allow greater analysis within rural areas.

Availability of results and further information: The survey is designed and developed from January each year, with fieldwork usually taking place in the summer and a data set available for analysis by the NatCen team and collaborators around the end of the year. Data are archived with the Economic and Social Data Service around the end of the following year. Tailored dissemination strategies are developed for each module and might include special reports and presentations for funders, public seminars, conferences, books, journal articles and short research findings papers.

Results and data from past SSA surveys can be accessed via the Economic and Social Data Service. More recent SSA reports and books can be found in the publications section of the Scottish Centre for Social Research. The first reports from the 2007 survey are now available, others are in production.