Introduction
This report presents the results of the 2024 Trunk Road Users Survey, conducted by Ipsos Scotland on behalf of Transport Scotland. The survey had been carried out annually from 2009 to 2019, with interviews conducted face-to-face in respondents’ homes using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). However, the survey was suspended in 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the survey resumed on an annual basis, using an online survey methodology. This change in methodology reflects developments in the field since the 2019 survey was undertaken, with high quality online options now being available.
While data from previous years has been included in the report to provide context, it is important to note that it is not possible to make direct comparisons between data from before 2023 and data from 2023 onwards, due to the change in survey methodology.
The survey questionnaire
The questionnaire covered the same topics as the 2023 survey, with minor changes to the wording of some questions. The topics were:
- Road condition and defects
- Roadworks and maintenance
- Road lighting, marking and signage
- Cycle lanes and footways
- Disruption due to severe weather
- Perceptions of Traffic Scotland information
- Transport-related challenges faced in local areas.
A copy of the questionnaire is available on request from info@transport.gov.scot.
Methodology
The survey was administered through the Ipsos UK KnowledgePanel, an online survey panel recruited via a random probability, unclustered address-based sampling method. (Previous waves of the survey were conducted face-to-face in respondents’ homes using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) using a representative quota sampling approach.) This means that every household in Scotland has a known chance of being selected to join the panel. Letters are sent to selected addresses in Scotland (using the Postcode Address File) inviting them to become members of the panel. Invited members can sign up to the panel by completing a short online questionnaire or by returning a paper form. Members of the public who are digitally excluded are able to register to the Knowledge Panel either by post or by telephone, and are given a tablet, an email address, and basic internet access which allows them to complete surveys online.
Fieldwork took place between 24 and 30 October 2024. A total of 1,128 panellists in Scotland (aged 18+) completed the survey. Respondents who had not driven or travelled as a passenger on Scottish trunk roads in the previous twelve months were excluded from participation. To establish eligibility, respondents were shown a map of trunk roads in Scotland (see Appendix A) and asked how often they had travelled on the network in the past twelve months. Those who answered “never” were screened out of further participation. Note that passengers on public transport were eligible to take part.
This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for Market Research, ISO 20252.
Survey data
Data were weighted to ensure the results were as representative of the Scottish population as possible. As up to two members per household are allowed to register on the KnowledgePanel, a design weight was employed to correct for unequal probabilities of selection of household members. Calibration weights have also been applied using the latest population statistics relevant to the surveyed population to correct for imbalances in the achieved sample
The calibration weights were applied in two stages:
- The first set of variables were (using ONS 2019 mid-year population estimates as the weighting targets): An interlocked variable of Gender by Age, and region.
- The second set were (using ONS 2019 mid-year population estimates, the ONS Annual Population Survey and 2011 UK census as the weighting targets): Education, Ethnicity, Index of Multiple Deprivation (quintiles), and number of adults in the household.
The weighted profile of the 2024 sample is shown below.
| Gender | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Male | 48% |
| Female | 51% |
| Age | 2024 |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 9% |
| 25-34 | 17% |
| 35-54 | 32% |
| 55-64 | 17% |
| 65+ | 24% |
| Region | 2024 |
|---|---|
| North West | 11% |
| North East | 26% |
| South West | 33% |
| South East | 28% |
Presentation and interpretation of the findings
The survey findings represent the views of a sample of Scottish adults, and not the entire population of Scottish trunk road users. As such, they are subject to sampling tolerances, meaning that differences between sub-groups may not always be statistically significant.
Throughout the report, we have commented only upon differences which are statistically significant at the 5% level – i.e. where we can be reasonably certain that they are unlikely to have occurred by chance.
Throughout the report, statistically significant differences are noted only when they exceed the cutoff of the 95% confidence level – i.e., where we can be reasonably certain that they are unlikely to have occurred by chance.
Where percentages do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding, the exclusion of ‘don’t know’ categories or multiple answers. Aggregate percentages (e.g., ‘very satisfied/fairly satisfied’) are calculated from the absolute values. Therefore, aggregate percentages may differ from the sum of the individual scores due to rounding of percentage totals.
For questions where the number of respondents is fewer than 30, the number of times a response has been selected (n) rather than the percentage is given.