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Attitudes to Government in Scotland
22/05/2008
Research published today shows trust in the Scottish Government to act in Scotland's interest increased by 20 per centage points, from 51 per cent to 71 per cent between 2006 and November 2007.
And the proportion of people who trusted the Scottish Government to make fair decisions increased by 16 per centage points to 47 per cent.
These are some of the key findings from the Attitudes to Government in Scotland module of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. The research was carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research between late May and early November 2007.
Other findings include:
- 43 per cent of people said the Scottish Government was good at listening to people, an increase of seven percentage points
- The proportion saying the Scottish Parliament gives Scotland a stronger voice in the UK has increased from 43 per cent to 61 per cent
- The proportion of people who thought the Scottish Parliament gives ordinary people more say in how Scotland is governed outweighed the proportion who thought it made no difference for the first time since 1999 - 47 per cent compared to 45 per cent
- Twice the level of trust in Scotland's Government compared to the Westminster Government
The First Minister said:
"This research demonstrates trust in the Scottish Government to act in the interests of the people of Scotland. The new survey shows twice the level of trust in Scotland's Government, compared to the Westminster Government.
"And it shows that more people believe Scotland's interests are being effectively promoted by their own Government.
"People are excited and enthusiastic about what this administration can achieve. Our fast pace of policy delivery shows that we are fulfilling those expectations, and working for Scotland and the people we serve."
Bruce Crawford, Minister for Parliamentary Business, said:
"The Scottish Social Attitudes survey was established in 1999 by the Scottish Centre for Social Research to provide robust data to inform public policy and academic study. It is one of the most important insights we have into what people in Scotland think about government.
"As well as showing a significant increase in trust in the Scottish Government in 2007, it also shows a large increase in the proportion of people who think we will take fair decisions."
The Scottish Government Office of the Chief Researcher has funded a series of questions in the 2004-2007 Scottish Social Attitudes surveys (SSA) on attitudes to government.
Fieldwork for the 2007 SSA took place between late May and early November 2007. Around 1500 face-to-face interviews are carried out annually (1508 in 2007) with a representative probability sample of the Scottish population.