Quality Assurance report - Demography and migration

Background

This report accompanies the publication of Scotland’s Census 2022 demography and migration topic data. It builds on the quality assurance reports published alongside the rounded population estimates in September 2023 and the unrounded population estimates and ethnic group, national identity, language and religion data in May 2024. 

Quality information for demography and migration variables 

Topic expert quality assurance panel 

NRS invited demography analytical colleagues from National Records of Scotland (NRS) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to participate in a quality assurance panel on the demography and migration data. Panel sessions assessed the coherence of 2022 Census statistics with previously published census estimates for Scotland and England and Wales and Northern Ireland as well as with other available data on that topic. The panel concluded that they were content for the data to be published. 

Year of arrival in the UK, length of residence in the UK and age of arrival in the UK 

The question ‘If you were not born in the United Kingdom, when did you most recently arrive to live here?’ was not asked to people born in Republic of Ireland who responded online. This was 18,200 out of a total 22,100 people born in Republic of Ireland. Their responses to this question have been imputed using the response from another census record in a similar geographic location with similar demographic characteristics. The records used to impute this information were not necessarily from people born in Republic of Ireland. 

This does not have a significant impact on the data for year of arrival in the UK, length of residence in the UK or age of arrival in the UK at Scotland level. However, users should consider this when interpreting results for small areas which have a large proportion of their population born in Republic of Ireland. 

Marital status 

The number of people in a registered civil partnership and the number of people whose status was dissolved, separated or a surviving partner from a civil partnership was implausibly high compared with the number of civil partnership registrations that took place in Scotland up to Census day. This is likely due to respondents in a common-law partnership responding that they were in a registered civil partnership. We have corrected some of these errors by using information on relationships between household members collected elsewhere on the census questionnaire. 

However, this correction was not possible where people were not in the same household as their current or ex-partner. Users should therefore be aware of this issue when using the marital status data for the following categories: 

• “In a registered civil partnership” 

• “Separated, but still legally in a civil partnership” 

• “Formerly in a civil partnership which is now legally dissolved” 

• “Surviving partner from a civil partnership” 

Users may want to combine these categories with their equivalents for marriage when using the data, for example combining “Separated, but still legally in a civil partnership” with “Separated, but still legally married”. 

Changes to state pension age since 2011 

At the time of the 2011 Census, the state pension age for females was approximately 60 years old and for males it was 65. At the time of the 2022 Census, it was 66 years old for males and females. When making comparisons with 2011, it should be noted that some categories have been changed to match the change in state pension age. The variables affected by this are: 

• Household composition 

• Alternative household composition 

Dependent children 

The variables adult lifestage, household lifestage, household composition and alternative household type include categories relating to dependent children. Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and aged under 16, or aged 16 to 18 in full-time education. Children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household are not included.

The variable alternative household type counts dependent children that are related to the couple or lone parent within the household. Children who are not related to other household members are not counted as dependent children. The variables adult lifestage, household composition and household lifestage count all dependent children within the household. 

Household lifestage 

This variable provides information about households based on the age of the household reference person (HRP). HRPs are an individual person within a household who acts as a reference point for characterising the whole household. A detailed definition for which household member is selected as the HRP is available on our website.