Description:
This indicator measures the percentage of respondents who agree with the statement 'I can influence decisions affecting my local area' as measured by the Scottish Household Survey.
Source of Data:
The figures for this indicator come from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS), a Scottish Government survey of around 10,000 households each year. The results are published in the Scottish Household Survey Annual Report - Scottish Household Survey: publications - gov.scot.
The indicator on Influence over local decisions is derived using a question which was introduced into the survey in 2007 and asks respondents whether they agree with the statement 'I can influence decisions affecting my local area'. Respondents choose Strongly agree / Tend to agree / Neither agree nor disagree / Tend to disagree / Strongly disagree / No opinion.
The indicator is calculated as the aggregated percentage of adults who say that they Strongly agree or Tend to agree.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 and 2021 SHS survey responses were collected differently than other survey years, namely through remote telephone and video links interviewing, as opposed to face-to-face interviewing. This introduced a response bias and a certain degree of measurement error which means the 2020 and 2021 data are not comparable with previous and subsequent years, as one can’t identify where differences are a result of a different data collection method versus real changes in attitudes.
Definitions:
Local area is defined as local council.
Criteria for Change:
- This evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 1.3 percentage point of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 1.3 percentage point or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 1.3 percentage point or more suggests the position is worsening.
For information on general methodological approach, please click here.