Statistical Bulletin Transport Series Scottish Household Survey: Travel Diary 2009/2010
3. Who travels most often?
- In 2009/2010, 75 per cent of respondents reported travel the previous day.
- Men were more likely to have travelled than women (77% vs 74%) and those aged 80 and over carried out the least travel (45%).
- There was a decrease of 6 percentage points in those travelling the previous day between 2007 and 2010.
Gender and Age
3.1 Seventy-five per cent of respondents reported travel the previous day in 2009/2010. Respondents aged 80 and over were much less likely than other age group to have travelled the previous day - 45 per cent compared to the next lowest of 64 per cent (70 -79 year olds). [Table 11], [Figure 1]
Figure 1: Adults reporting travel, age bands, 2009/2010
3.2 In 2009/2010, men were more likely to have travelled on the previous day than women (77% vs 74%), a pattern apparent across most age bands with the exception of females aged 30 - 49 who were just as likely to have travelled as their male counterparts. [Table 11]
3.3 The proportion of adults travelling the previous day in 2010 decreased by 6 percentage points from 2007. This decrease can be seen for both men and women and across all age bands, with the most noticeable difference being in those aged 80 and over (51% in 2007 compared to 39% in 2010). [Table 1]
Income and Employment
3.4 Generally, those in employment, and particularly those who are full time employed were most likely to have travelled on the previous day (80-84%). Those who are permanently sick/disabled reported the lowest level of travel (56%). [Table 11]
3.5 The higher the household income, the more likely people were to travel the previous day - 66 per cent of those in households with income up to £10,000 per annum rising to 83 per cent of those in households with incomes over £40,000 per annum. [Table 11], [Figure 2]
Figure 2: Adults reporting travel, income bands, 2009/2010
Area Type
3.6 It is important to note that the majority of journeys were undertaken in urban areas - 64 per cent compared to only 21 per cent in rural areas. This provides useful contextual information when considering journey characteristics as discussed in later sections.
3.7 There was little difference between rural and urban areas for travelling the previous day; all being around the national figure of 75%. [Table 11]
3.8 A similar correlation existed in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles - households in the lowest (most deprived) quintile recorded 68 per cent of adults travelling on the previous day, compared to 81 per cent in the highest (least deprived) quintile. [Table 11]
Car Access and Licence Possession
3.9 As may be expected, access to a car was related to whether or not a respondent made a journey the previous day. Only 66 per cent of households with no access to a car made a journey the previous day, significantly less than those with one car (76%) and two or more (81%). [Table 11], [Figure 3]
3.10 Similarly, respondents without a full driving licence also reported less journeys than respondents with full driving licences (66% vs 80%). [Table 11], [Figure 3] Car access and household income are correlated[1]. The number of cars available to the household increases with annual net household income. It therefore makes sense that high income households are more likely to undertake travel, and vice versa. [Figure 4]
Figure 3: Adults reporting travel, car availability and driving licence, 2009/2010
Figure 4: Car availability by income, 2010
