Public trust in Scottish Government

Three times more trust Scottish Government over UK Government to act in Scotland’s best interests.

Public trust in the Scottish Government to act in the best interests of the country remains significantly higher than in the UK Government, according to the latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA).

People were nearly five times more likely to say the Scottish Government should have most influence over how the country is run than the UK Government.

The 2017 survey, conducted by ScotCen Social Research, measured public attitudes towards trust in government, influence over how Scotland is run, and the Scottish Parliament.

The survey showed:

  • 61% trusted the Scottish Government to work in Scotland’s best interests compared to 20% for the UK Government
  • Nearly three-quarters believed the Scottish Government ought to have most influence over the way Scotland is run compared to 15% who said the UK Government
  • Of those who said the standard of living had worsened over the past 12 months, 50% attributed this to UK Government policy, 16% attributed this to Scottish Government policy
  • Of those who said the standard of living had improved over the past 12 months, 43% attributed this to Scottish Government policy, 28% to UK Government policy

The proportion of people saying the Scottish Government should have most influence over the way Scotland is run has not dropped below 63% since this question was first asked in 1999.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution Derek Mackay said:

“These figures show we are maintaining the trust of the Scottish people. They demonstrate without question that our priorities and budget decisions are in line with what the public expect – improving education, growing the economy and protecting frontline health service.

“Not only do the figures vindicate the decisive, fair action taken by the Scottish Government, they also demonstrate public support for the Scottish Government having the greatest influence over how Scotland is run. It is essential that the UK Government reflects this strength of public feeling and responds to our demands on fairer immigration policies, reversing austerity and halting the Brexit power grab on devolved responsibilities.

“We will keep working hard to maintain the trust the public has placed in us, especially as we – and indeed the whole of the UK – face uncertain times and the negative impact of Brexit.”

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