WIREDGOV

Census 2011: 
Release 2D Key results on long-term health conditions, central heating and deprivation
Release 3C Detailed characteristics on Ethnicity, Identity, Language and Religion in Scotland

The statistics published yesterday by the Registrar General for Scotland on the Scotland’s Census website (www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk), present key results from the 2011 Census on long-term health conditions, central heating and deprivation (Release 2D), and further details on ethnicity, identity, language and religion (Release 3C), from national to local level.

Key points - Release 2D

Long-term health conditions

• In 2011, 70 per cent of the population in Scotland did not have any type of long-term health condition.
• The most common category for those who reported at least one long-term health condition was ‘Other condition’ (19 per cent of total population, 988,000).
• ‘Physical disability’ and ‘Deafness or partial hearing loss’ were the second and third most common categories of long-term health conditions, each affecting 7 per cent of the population (353,000 and 351,000 respectively).

Central heating

• In Scotland in 2011, almost all households (98 per cent, 2.3 million) had central heating, an increase of five percentage points from 2001 (93 per cent, 2.0 million).
• Gas was the most common type of central heating in most council areas, used by an average of 74 per cent of households, with the exception of Shetland Islands and Orkney Islands, where there is no mains gas supply, and Eilean Siar which has limited gas supply.
• Electric central heating was the most common type in Orkney Islands (41 per cent of households, 4,000) and Shetland Islands (48 per cent, 5,000). Oil central heating was the most common type in Eilean Siar (40 per cent, 5,000).

Deprivation

• In Scotland in 2011, 40 per cent of households were not categorised as deprived in any of the four measured dimensions: employment, education, health and housing.
• 32 per cent of households were deprived in one dimension, 20 per cent in two dimensions, six per cent in three dimensions and the remaining one per cent in all four dimensions.
• The most common dimensions for deprivation of households were education and health, either as the only dimension of deprivation (14 per cent and 11 per cent respectively of all households) or in combination with each other (12 per cent of all households).

Key points – Release 3C

Country of birth by English language skills

• The proportion of Scotland’s population aged three and over who could speak, read and write English was 94 per cent. This proportion was lowest for those born in the European Union (EU) Accession countries (75 per cent) or in the Middle East and Asia (89 per cent).
• The proportion of people aged three and over who could only understand (but not speak, read or write) English was highest (four per cent) for those born in EU Accession countries. This group of people also had the highest proportion (three per cent) who had no skills in English.

The other tables included in Release 3C are all ‘Local Characteristics’ (LC) versions of tables that have already been published as ‘Detailed Characteristics’ (DC) tables in Releases 3A and 3B. They provide information down to census output area (the lowest level of geography for which census tables are produced) but generally include less detailed categories than the DC version of the tables as a statistical disclosure control measure. The tables are on:

• Age by sex
• Ethnic group by age
• National identity by sex by age
• Country of birth by age
• Proficiency in English by age
• Language other than English used at home by age
• English language skills by age
• Ethnic group by religion
• National identity by religion
• Country of birth by ethnic group
• Country of birth by religion
• Country of birth by national identity
• Country of birth by age of arrival in the UK

All the data contained in these two releases can be accessed on the Scotland’s Census website (www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk).