Trust in Scottish government at lowest level
There has been a decline in trust of the Scottish government since 2019
- Published
Trust in the Scottish government has fallen to the lowest level since the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999, according to an official measure of social attitudes.
The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey for 2023, external showed the percentage who said they trusted the Scottish government to act in Scotland's best long-term interests fell to 47%.
This was down from 61% in 2019, the last time a comparable survey was conducted.
Trust in the UK government to act in the interest of Scotland remained well below the figure for the Scottish government but increased slightly - from 15% in 2019 to 21% in 2023.
Those who support Scottish independence were more likely to approve of the Scottish government (69%).
It was also higher among younger people and those on the left of the political spectrum.
Older people and those with the opposite views tended to be more trusting of the UK government.
The survey, commissioned by the Scottish government, has been conducted annually since 1999 by the independent research organisation ScotCen.
It used a sample size of 1,574 people, aged over 16, who were representative of the wider population in Scotland.
The survey also suggested that more than half (53%) of Scots were either "very" or "quite" dissatisfied with the way the NHS was run, compared to 23% who were either "very" or "quite" satisfied.
The latest survey is the first year since 2005 where more people were dissatisfied than satisfied with how the NHS was run.
Other findings from the survey were:
More people believe Westminster (46%) has the most influence over Scotland than Holyrood (43%).
A majority think the Scottish government should have the most influence (61%).
This trend is similar across all age ranges, but slightly more people aged 65+ think Westminster should have the most control (22%)
A large majority (83%) of Scots thought there had been a decline in the general standard of living, compared to half of all people thinking this in 2019.