Shetland residents urged to have say about population decline across island communities

Householders in parts of Shetland are being asked to give their views on what would help make the islands' population sustainable as part of a new research project.

The project is part of an investigation into the changing population dynamics facing island communities and what role policy and place-based interventions can play to help create and maintain healthy and balanced populations in Shetland and other Scottish island communities.

It is being run by Marcus Craigie, a Ph.D. student based at the University of Aberdeen, supervised by academics in the Department of Geography and Environment at the School of Geosciences and The James Hutton Institute.

"By 2043, all Scottish island local authorities are projected to see a decrease in their population, but the rate of decline will vary. In Shetland, the projected decline between 2018 and 2043 is -6.13%," said Marcus.

"The challenges and opportunities associated with retaining existing residents and attracting new and returning residents, for example, transport, housing and jobs, are often discussed in a very general way.

"These factors, in reality, are geographically nuanced. To successfully apply policy for population change, we need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and understand our island communities' individuality."

Marcus, who himself grew up in Orkney, will arrive in Shetland next month (August) to spend four weeks distributing and collecting surveys to every household in Unst, Bressay, Burra and Trondra, and Walls and Sandness.

The areas in which research will be undertaken were selected in consultation with key stakeholders in Shetland and are designed to represent different population trajectories across the islands.

He said, "I am really looking forward to being back in Shetland. I hope to gather a range of responses that will help to build a picture of population change in Shetland and better understand the opportunities for policies to help manage population change," he added.

Residents of Unst, Bressay, Burra and Trondra, and Walls and Sandness are encouraged to take part in the survey to help increase awareness of the Shetland context in Scotland-wide discussions about island population change and to support policy recommendations for national and local government.

Provided by University of Aberdeen