Public trust in Scottish Government three times higher than in UK counterpart

Public trust in the Scottish Government is more than three times higher than its UK counterpart, according to the latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA).

The 2015 SSA survey found that 73 per cent of people in Scotland trust the Scottish Government, the highest level since the Scottish Parliament was established, compared with 23 per cent who trust the UK Government.

The Scottish Government was also more trusted than the UK Government to make fair decisions, with 49 per cent backing it, compared with 18 per cent for Whitehall. The survey found that 34 per cent of people trusted their local council to make fair decisions.

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The SSA found 59 per cent of respondents thought the Scottish Government was good at listening to people’s views before it takes decisions, compared with 44 per cent for local councils and 17 per cent for the UK Government.

While roughly equal proportions said the UK and Scottish Governments have the most influence over the way Scotland is run, with 42 per cent for the UK and 41 per cent for the Scottish Government, 76 per cent thought that the Scottish Government should to have the most influence, compared with 14 per cent who chose the UK Government.

While 62 per cent said they were satisfied with the way the NHS is run, with 24 dissatisfied, there was an increase, compared with 2011, in the proportion of people who thought that the standard of the health service had fallen in the last year (31 per cent in 2011 vs 39 per cent in 2015).

It found 19 per cent thought standards of living in Scotland had increased in the last year, while 42 per cent thought it had decreased. Scots were more likely to blame the UK Government (38 per cent) than the Scottish Government (14 per cent) for falls in living standards.

The Social Attitudes survey is based on face-to-face interviews with 1,288 people aged 18 and over, between July 2015 and January 2016.