TRUST in the Scottish Government to work in the country’s best interests has fallen to the lowest level recorded since a regular survey of public opinion began.
The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSAS), which measures the public’s views on a range of issues, found the percentage of people who said they trust the Scottish Government “just about always” or “most of the time” fell to 47% – down from 61% in 2019.
Trust in the UK Government to work in Scotland’s best interests remained lower than the figure for the Edinburgh administration, as it has done since the start of the survey series.
However, trust in the UK Government had increased from the 2019 figure, going from 15% then to 21% in 2023.
Further analysis found trust in the Scottish Government tends to be higher among younger people, those who support Scottish independence, and those on the left of the political spectrum.
The percentage of people who thought the Scottish Government was “very good” or “quite good” at listening to people’s views before making decisions fell from 51% in 2019 to 35% in 2023.
It has declined from its peak of 59% in 2015.
The equivalent figure for the UK Government also fell, going from 15% in 2019 to 12% in 2023.
It also found that people believe the highest priority for the Scottish Government is improving the economy as it was by far the most popular issue at 45%.
Almost half of the people surveyed thought the Scottish Government should increase taxes and spend more on health, education, and social benefits.
Only around a quarter of people disagreed that the Scottish Government should redistribute wealth amongst society while half of those surveyed supported the idea.
SSAS has been conducted annually, except for 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020, by the independent Scottish Centre for Social Research since the advent of devolution in 1999.
It gathers representative data on social and political views of the Scottish public.
The survey measured the public’s views on a variety of issues including influence over how Scotland is run, taxation levels, government priorities, the economy and the NHS.
Jamie Hepburn (below), Parliamentary Business Minister, has welcomed the survey and said the findings match the Scottish Government’s commitments.
He said: “The survey demonstrates continued support for the redistribution of wealth and an increasing desire among people to see the economy grow. This aligns with the Scottish Government’s commitments and how we are working hard to provide support to those who need it most.
“Examples of this include investing nearly £678 million in Scottish Child Payments as part of our commitment to eradicating child poverty. This investment – made by March this year - has helped reduce financial pressures on the families of more than 329,000 children.
“The survey – which will be studied closely – also shows broad backing for our priorities of growing a thriving economy, ensuring sustainable and excellent public services, and tackling the climate emergency.
“To that end we are providing more than £19.5 billion for health and social care, £14bn for local councils and £4.7bn for activities that will positively impact delivery of our climate goals.
“People here also have access to benefits such as free prescriptions and free higher education.”
Alex Scholes, senior researcher at the Scottish Centre for Social Research, said the Scottish survey findings match those from its British counterpart.
He said: “The Scottish Social Attitudes survey provides a valuable time series for monitoring trends and understanding public attitudes, to help support and develop effective policies and identify government priorities.
“The Scottish Centre for Social Research has collected the data for this survey since its inception in 1999, providing a robust and reliable picture of public attitudes in Scotland.
“It is clear from the survey that the public consider the Scottish economy to be a rising priority, and it shows how people feel the Scottish Government should approach this with regards to taxation, spending and redistribution of income.
“The results mirror some of the findings from the British Social Attitudes survey and show the issues that the Scottish population are keen to see addressed by the government going forward.”
