Results on neighbourhoods and communities from the annual report of the Scottish Household Survey include:

• 93.6 % of adults rate their neighbourhood as a very or fairly good place to live. This rating has been consistently high since the first SHS in 1999 but this year’s percentage is the highest positive rating reported
• Adults living in rural areas of Scotland are more likely to say their neighbourhood is ‘very good’ (79 % of those living in remote rural areas for example) as compared to those from urban (49 % of those in large urban areas). Similarly, adults typically rate their neighbourhoods lower when they live within higher levels of deprivation
• The aspect of neighbourhoods that people who rate their neighbourhood positively like most about their area is a ‘sense of community.’ 71 % of adults say they like the sense of community in their neighbourhood
• 28 % of adults have provided unpaid help to organisations or individuals in the last 12 months. Unpaid help is most likely to be provided by those who are self-employed (37%) and those in higher or further education (36%)
• Working with organisations connected to children, either through schools (22%) or other youth and children’s organisations (22 %) are the most common form of volunteering.