Young people living in Scotland are twice as likely as those in England to fly the family nest in search of an independent lifestyle, a study has found.

Research by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) found that 27% of men in Scotland live away from home without a partner by the age of 22, compared to 20% of men south of the border.

The Living in Scotland survey was set up to follow the lives of people in Scotland after the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Between the ages of 20 and 30, 22% of Scottish men live alone compared to 19% in England.

These differences cannot be explained by country differences in patterns of participation in education

Professor John Ermisch

The findings were presented by ISER professor John Ermisch at a conference in Stirling on Friday.

He said: "Independent living is much more common in Scotland than in England, particularly among young people.

"Scottish young people leave home sooner, primarily to live in arrangements other than cohabiting unions and marriages.

"These differences cannot be explained by country differences in patterns of participation in education."

Other findings the study highlighted include:

• Scotland has a lower birthrate: 1.47 children per woman compared with 1.66 in England.

• Young Scots stay on longer in full-time education: 36% of 19 to 23-year-olds compared with 24% in England.

• Life expectancy in Scotland is lower for both men and women. For women it is 78.2 years against 80.2 and for men, 72.8 years in Scotland compared to 75.4 years south of the border.

The findings of the study come just weeks after a leading Scottish businessman caused a furore by telling pupils at a top school they should leave Scotland if they want to be successful.

Don Cruickshank, chairman of the London Stock Exchange, said at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen that Scotland would flourish if young people left to gain experience of the rest of the world.