People in Shetland who feel part of their community
About this Indicator
This indicator measures the percentage of people in Shetland who feel “very” or “fairly” strongly that they are part of their community.
| Indicator | 2018 Baseline | 2021 Target | 2028 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| People in Shetland who feel part of their community | 88% of people feel that they are part of their community | At least 90% of people will feel part of their community | At least 95% of people will feel part of their community |
Source
Data up to 2019 comes from the Scottish Household Survey Data Explorer, Scottish Government. Here, Neighbourhood and Communities is selected and the question “strength of feeling of belonging to community by gender, age, ethnicity and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation” is looked at. Shetland Islands is selected under “local authority/Scotland.” Responses for “very strongly” and “fairly strongly” are added together to get our data.
The 2022 data came from supporting files to the national report. Data on “strength of feeling of belonging to community” is available from the Neighbourhoods datasheet. Responses for “very strongly” and “fairly strongly” are added together. The results are published following a return to the traditional methodology of face-to-face interviews. This is after the experimental statistics produced in 2021, as this was done via telephone rather than face to face. In March 2020 the fieldwork approach was altered in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This resulted in the majority of the 2020 survey fieldwork, and all of the 2021 survey fieldwork, being carried out using telephone interviewing. Due to a smaller sample size in 2020, the data was not able to be broken down and published at local authority level.
Most recent data
90% of people felt that they belonged to their community in 2022. This is an improvement on the baseline of 88% and achieves the 2021 target.Why do we monitor this indicator?
People feeling part of and connected to their community is an important part of Shetland Partnership’s aim to ensure everyone in Shetland has as good an experience of life as possible. Being part of a community can have a positive effect on mental health and emotional wellbeing and provides a sense of belonging and social connectedness (Australian Government 2023). A sense of belonging and having social connections are important and can help people have a healthier mind-set, improved self-worth and greater enjoyment of life.
This indicator contributes to monitoring the desired outcomes outlined in the People priority of the Partnership Plan.
“Shetland will continue to be a safe and happy place, with more people feeling connected to their communities and benefitting from living in good places and keeping active.”