Award of RESAS/002/26 - Scottish Islands Survey 2026

As required by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, the first National Islands Plan (the Plan) was published in 2019. The Plan established a framework of strategic objectives for action to improve outcomes for island communities.Following a statutory review informed by a public consultation, a new iteration of the Plan was laid before the Scottish Parliament in December 2025.The overarching objective of the Plan is to support people to live, work and thrive on Scotland’s islands by facilitating locally led solutions for population retention and attraction. This is supported by seven Strategic Objectives relating to: Connectivity; Housing; Health and Social Care; Economy, Education and Skills; Climate, Nature and Energy’ Poverty and Social Justice; and Empowered Communities and Culture.The Scottish Islands Survey is a primary mechanism for gathering evidence to monitor the progression of the objectives set out in the Plan. This evidence is essential to lay annual reports before the Scottish Parliament, and carry out statutory reviews every five years.The Scottish Islands Survey also produces key data needed to conduct Island Community Impact Assessments (ICIAs) which are a statutory requirement under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.Scottish Islands Survey data is also a key component of the Scottish Islands Data dashboard. The dashboard is routinely used by policy teams across Scottish Government, as well as rural and island stakeholders.2026 surveyA third iteration of the Scottish Islands Survey is due to be completed in 2026 and, as with previous iterations, should take place in autumn/winter to reduce seasonality effect.The 2026 survey should allow direct comparability with the previous surveys to build a consistent and robust data series which allows for trends to be monitored over time. The questionnaire will also be subject to review to ensure questions are aligned with the revised Strategic Objectives in the updated Plan.