Survey reveals the ways Scots differ from the English

Scots move out from their parents' homes earlier than the English, stay longer in jobs, are less likely to move house but more likely to "live in sin", and go to church more often. These are just some of the results of the most extensive study yet into what makes Scotland different from England.

The results of the British Household Survey come in the same week as the initial results from last April's national census, which show that the country's population continues to decline. Nationalist MSP Alex Neil yesterday proposed that the Scottish parliament should use its taxation powers for a "baby bonus", offering incentives to have more children.

The British Household Survey was carried out last year by teams of academics from across the UK and was extended in Scotland to provide a distinct picture of social change here. Next Friday will see the results being discussed at the Living in Scotland conference, hosted by Stirling University.

One paper, by researchers at Essex University, details a striking difference between England and Scotland in how homes are formed, with Scots more open to unorthodox options. It shows there has been rapid growth in recent years in Scottish births outside marriage, with 43% of births in Scotland and 39% in England being to unmarried parents. Among adults up to the age of 35, Scots are less likely to be married but instead tend to live with a partner. Ten years ago, the picture in England and Scotland was more similar.

Even more striking is the discovery that young Scots are far more likely to leave their parents' home at a young age - especially females. Among those aged 18 to 26, three in five English live with their parents, while in Scotland this figure drops to two in five. When Scots do move, they are more likely to move in with a partner.

Older Scots, the survey said, are more likely to find themselves living alone, often because their partners die younger than the English.

A different research paper by economists at Aberdeen University found Scots less likely to move house. But those who do are more likely to be unemployed and on low incomes.

The English experience of managers being moved around the country in a rapid succession of jobs is not shared by Scots white collar workers. If the pattern of moving home in Scotland was identical to that in England then the rate of mobility would increase by up to 15%. Such results are seen by economists as a sign that Scots seem less adaptable to changes in the job market and are reluctant to relocate for work or better pay.

Yet, for all that, the Scots seem more willing than the English to break the bounds of traditional households - what used to be known as "living in sin" - it may be one reason why Scots are more regular church attenders.

The research has found that this is not just because Scots are older on average, or that the country has a higher proportion of Catholics. Even among those under 45, the likelihood of going to church at least once a week remains 50% above that of England.

Among adults, 15 out of every 100 Scots go on a weekly basis, while only 10 out of every 100 English people do so. The same proportion holds for those under 45, with 8.3% of Scots, compared to 5.7% of English, at their weekly prayer.

Robert Wright, the Stirling academic who has organised Friday's conference and has researched religious observance between the two countries, reports that the statistics confirm a sharp reduction in church attendance. Looking at the whole of the UK, it is clear that even among regular attenders in 1991, fewer than 70% were still going on a regular basis 10 years later.

There are findings also on the state of the Scottish job market. One academic study, from Glasgow Caledonian University, found that Scots with degrees gain a bigger lift in their pay than English- based graduates, especially women. But those with further education qualifications, which fall short of degree-level education, find they are of little use to Scots workers in boosting income. Indeed, gaining passes at Higher grade is more valuable than having an FE qualification.

Aberdeen academics have also found that Scots stay longer in their jobs - an average 5.9 years, compared with 5 years south of the Border. They get the same rates of pay as those outside London, but lag far behind London rates. Scots also remain disproportionately dependent on public sector jobs, and much of Scotland's jobs market is increasingly like the non-London areas of England.

The strong relationship Scots have with trade unionism has paid dividends, with collective bargaining effective in raising income levels. Union members who united to negotiate on pay has boosted income in Scotland by 4.7% over the past 10 years. In London there was no mark-up, while the rest of England saw a mark-up of 3.9%.

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