New research has revealed that 81% of Scots believe 'wealth is concentrated in the hands of too few people', with only 14% saying the distribution of wealth 'is about right'.
The findings, which all exclude ‘don’t knows’, also showed that 60% of respondents think 'Scotland’s economy is not on the right path', with 74% of those expressing this opinion stating that said 'major changes' are needed.
Only 2% of all respondents said that 'Scotland’s economy is broadly on the right path, and no changes are needed'.
The survey was conducted by YouGov among 1,002 adults in Scotland during April on behalf of Future Economy Scotland, a new, non-partisan think tank.
The organisation launches today, aiming to develop policies that maximise the potential of the Scottish Parliament.
Laurie Macfarlane, co-director of Future Economy Scotland, said: “It is clear that we cannot overcome the challenges Scotland faces by making minor tweaks to the status quo. Instead, we must embrace bold new ideas to transform the economy.”
Co-director Miriam Brett said: “Future Economy Scotland’s mission is to develop transformative policies that decarbonise, democratise and de-commodify Scotland’s economy, aiming to elevate the level of ambition and maximise the potential of the Scottish Parliament for a sustainable, just and democratic future.”
Macfarlane is an economist and researcher with a decade of experience working in think tanks, the public sector, journalism and academia.
He is a visiting fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, a research fellow at The Democracy Collaborative, a council member of the Progressive Economy Forum and a member of North Ayrshire Council’s Community Wealth Building Expert Panel.
Prior to co-founding Future Economy Scotland, Macfarlane was senior economist at the New Economics Foundation, economics editor at openDemocracy and a trustee at the Finance Innovation Lab.
Meanwhile, Brett is a board member of Green New Deal Rising, and a research fellow at The Democracy Collaborative and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
She most recently worked as director of research and advocacy for Common Wealth think tank. Prior to that, she was international finance project manager for an independent watchdog to the IMF and World Bank, Bretton Woods Project, and a senior economic adviser to the SNP Westminster group.
The organisation does not have a formal stance on Scotland’s constitutional future, and is not aligned to any political party or any politician. It is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, operating with charitable principles.
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