Voters slate Scottish Government performance on public services – but SNP still most popular party

Voters think the SNP government is failing to deliver on everything but trains – but the party would win an election if it was held tomorrow.

That’s according to polling by Survation for the pro-UK campaign group Scotland in Union.

In a survey of more than 2,000 people, most Scots said the current administration was not performing well on everything from health services to local government funding.

Train services was the only area in which people were most positive than negative about ministers’ performance. Even then, the satisfaction level was at less than 50 per cent.

But when asked which party they would vote for if a general or Scottish Parliament election was held tomorrow, more respondents said the SNP than any other party.

The finding goes for both the constituency and list votes in Holyrood.

However, when asked if they would choose to leave the UK in the case of an independence referendum, 60 per cent said they would “remain” to 40 per cent who would opt to “leave”.

Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said the poll “confirms there is widespread dissatisfaction with the failing SNP government”. He commented: “People don't want to leave the UK and they don't want the SNP prioritising it when our public services are in such chaos.

“Scotland urgently needs a competent Holyrood government which focuses on day-to-day issues – the devolved responsibilities which are important to our lives every single day.  

“We need politicians who will fix the NHS, address the housing crisis, and tackle the problems with crime and policing – not populist grandstanding, nationalists picking fights with the UK Government, or an unwanted constitutional obsession.”

Polling took place between 4-16 September.

A total of 35 per cent said they would vote SNP if a general election was held tomorrow. Labour and Reform UK were neck-and-neck at 19 per cent, with the Conservatives on 12 per cent, the Liberal Democrats at eight per cent, the Greens on four per cent, and Alba polling one per cent.

In the case of a snap Scottish Parliament contest, 37 per cent said their constituency vote would go to an SNP candidate. Labour was second placed at 20 per cent to Reform’s 18 per cent, with the Tories following on 11 per cent. The Lib Dems were the choice of seven per cent of respondents, with the Greens on five per cent and Alba on one per cent.

In the list battle, 31 per cent said they’d be most likely to vote SNP, with 18 per cent backing Labour, 16 per cent favouring Reform and 13 per cent going for the Conservatives. Another 11 per cent said Lib Dem while eight per cent said Green and two per cent said Alba.

Asked about the most important issues facing the country today, the NHS was by far the highest priority at 57 per cent, followed by energy bills and immigration on 29 per cent each. At 14 per cent, independence was joint sixth with housing.

However, only 39 per cent of Scots think the Scottish Government is performing well on the health service, compared to 56 per cent who think the opposite.

Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) said ministers were doing “not that well” or “not at all well” on housing, while 64 per cent said the same for local council funding. The figures for drug harm reduction and social care were 60 per cent, and while 39 per cent were positive about performance on the NHS, 56 per cent were negative.

Only in relation to trains, which are nationalised in Scotland, was there a positive outcome for the government, with 48 per cent stating that ministers are performing well, compared to 41 per cent who disagreed.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown commenting: “This poll gives the SNP its highest constituency vote share in almost three years and puts us within touching distance of an outright majority in the Scottish Parliament. 

“The SNP is focussed on making Scotland a better place to live. NHS waiting times are coming down and GP numbers are up, our young people achieved outstanding exam results this year, and we’ve just scrapped peak rail fares for good, saving commuters hundreds of pounds.

“There can be no doubt that Westminster treats Scotland as an afterthought and is holding us back. Independence is the fresh start that Scotland needs so we can release our nation’s full potential.”