Background was not found to be a significant factor

More than 3,000 youngsters were interviewed in the study and views were sought from some 40 agencies across the country.

The report's senior researcher said running away was "a national phenomenon".

The report, which was released in Glasgow on Monday, found that it was rare for young people to leave home for excitement or to head for the bright lights of the city.

Instead, it suggested that most do so because of problems at home or in substitute care.

The youngsters interviewed said being away, even just for one night, gave them time to think.

The report, called Missing Out, estimated that each year up to 7,000 children in Scotland run away.

About a fifth of these children run away before they reach the age of 11.

One of the things that young people did say is that many of them ran because they had nobody to talk to, they felt that nobody understood

Cathy Jameson, Education Minister

The figures were the same whether the runaway came from an affluent or poor background or from an urban or rural home.

However, the researchers did find that 40% of children in substitute care run away.

The Aberlour Trust said support services for young people in difficulty must be reviewed.

It said one in six who stayed away overnight had been physically or sexually abused while they were away.

Ms Jamieson said the Scottish Executive will be co-operating with the trust in launching a new project to provide support and early for runaway children.

'Additional stress'

However, she added: "I think that wider than that we need to ensure all services are listening to children and young people.

"One of the things that young people did say is that many of them ran because they had nobody to talk to, they felt that nobody understood.

"I think there's a very clear message there for all of us."

Jim Wade, a senior research fellow at York University who worked on the study, said it yielded few stereotypical results.

"There were no significant differences in running away between the town and rural areas or the affluence of families involved," Mr Wade said.

"Previous research has suggested that running away rates were higher in low income families, we believe this is not significant and is a secondary factor at best.

"The additional stress of living in families that have experienced break-up is more of a factor."