This Scottish Government report (29 March 2022) presents the findings on children’s play from the Scottish Parents’ omnibus survey of 1,004 parents of children and young people aged 0-18 across Scotland. This was conducted by Ipsos MORI Scotland between 1 November and 2December 2021.
The survey explored children’s experiences of play during the past year, what supported their play, and what could encourage children and parents to play more. The report provides an overview of the policy background. This includes the 2013 Play strategy for Scotland, the 2021 progress review following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the recent £60 million investment in restoring play parks across Scotland.
Key findings:
- 57% of parents reported that their child played outside on most days or every day during the previous year
- parents of children aged 0-11 were more likely to report that their children played outside than parents of young people aged 12-17
- the most common play locations were private gardens, local open spaces, play parks and local street
- parents with lower household incomes and those living in the most deprived areas were less likely to report that their children played in local open spaces
- 48% of parents said improvements to local play parks would encourage their children to play outside more. Other factors are included here.
