No qualifications_3 cities comparison

Percentage of adults (16 - 74 years) with no educational qualifications in Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow by decile, 2001
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A higher percentage of Glasgow’s population do not have any qualifications compared with Liverpool and Manchester.  In terms of those without any qualifications, there are notable variations in its distribution across the three cities, with a more unequal distribution in Glasgow. Grouping each city’s population into ten equally-sized groups, Glasgow’s highest rates of lack of qualifications (deciles 6-10) are much higher than the equivalent ‘worst’ groups in the English cities.

Analysing these rates by income deprivation deciles (not shown) again highlights differences between Glasgow and the two English cities, with considerably higher rates of ‘no qualifications’ associated with the five most deprived deciles in Glasgow.

Although not shown here, we also know Glasgow has a higher percentage with degree level qualifications compared with Liverpool but not Manchester.

Notes

This graph is drawn from GCPH research on the causes of 'excess mortality' in Glasgow. 

It has been proposed that levels of educational attainment are lower in Scotland (compared with England & Wales) and Glasgow (compared with similar cities such as Liverpool and Manchester) and that this may explain some of the excess levels of mortality observed in Scotland and Glasgow.

The synthesis of evidence from the excess mortality research concluded that 'there are differences in aspects of educational attainment – specifically in relation to a lack of educational qualifications among sections of the population – between Scotland and England, and between Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. It is possible that this is relevant to the issue of excess mortality, especially that observed among the more deprived population – although statistical modelling analyses suggest any impact is small.'

For further information on the 'excess mortality' research go to the excess mortality page on the GCPH website.