Scottish Household Survey 2022: Key Findings

6. Public services

Satisfaction with public services

In 2022, 40% of adults were satisfied with the quality of all three of the main public services (local health services, schools and public transport). This is a combined measure of the three services and gives an indication of the ‘overall quality of public services’. The indicator is based on the percentage of adults who said that they were very or fairly satisfied with all three services, or with one or two services if they had no opinion on the other service(s) (Table 6.13).

This represents a decrease of 13 percentage points in the overall satisfaction of public services compared to the year 2019, when 53% of adults were satisfied (Table 6.13). This indicates that satisfaction with public services was generally higher prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Satisfaction for each of the individual public services has also decreased since 2019. In 2022, 64% of adults were satisfied with local health services (Table 6.1); 69% of adults were satisfied with local schools (Table 6.5); and 58% of adults were satisfied with public transport (Table 6.9). In 2019, 80% of adults were satisfied with local health services (Table 6.1), 73% of adults were satisfied with local schools (Table 6.5); and 68% of adults were satisfied with public transport (Table 6.9).

Satisfaction with public services by service users In 2022, service users were more satisfied with local schools and public transport than the whole adult population, but there was no difference in satisfaction with local health services between service users and non-users (Tables 6.4, 6.8, and 6.12).

For local schools, 85% of service users reported being satisfied with the quality of the service (Table 6.8). For public transport, 67% of service users reported being satisfied with the quality of the service (6.12). For local health services, 63% of service users were satisfied (Table 6.4).

Satisfaction with public services by urban and rural areas and deprivation

Just under half of adults living in large urban areas (45%) were satisfied with the quality of public services (local health services, schools and public transport combined). In comparison, about one third of adults (37%) living in remote rural areas reported being satisfied with public services (Table 6.14). This is influenced by a large difference in satisfaction with the quality of public transport.Adults living in large urban areas were much more satisfied with the quality of public transport (68%) than those in remote rural areas (40%) (Table 6.10).

Satisfaction with the quality of public services (local health services, schools and public transport combined) varied by the level of deprivation, as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Satisfaction was higher in the 20% 22 least deprived areas (44% of adults) compared to the 20% most deprived areas (38% of adults). (Table 6.15).

Perceptions of local councils

Survey respondents were asked to agree or disagree with various statements about how their local council is performing. In 2022, 43% of respondents agreed that their local council does the best it can with the money available; 35% of respondents agreed that their local council is good at letting people know about what services it provides; and 31% of respondents agreed that their local council designs its services around the needs of the people who use them (Table 6.16).

Perceptions of local councils by age, sex and deprivation

Respondents aged 16 to 24 were less likely than adults aged 75 and over to agree that their local council does the best it can with the money available (39% compared to 49%); that their local council is addressing the key issues affecting the quality of life in their neighbourhood (29% compared to 37%); and that their local council is good at letting people know how well it is performing (20% compared to 33%) (Table 6.17).

Women were less likely than men to agree that their local council does the best it can with the money available (40% compared to 45%) and that their local council designs services around the needs of the people who use them (29% compared to 34%) (Table 6.19).

Adults from the least deprived and most deprived areas had differing views on whether their local council addresses the key issues affecting quality of life in their local neighbourhood. 36% of adults from the 20% least deprived areas agreed to this, while 28% of adults from the 20% most deprived areas agreed to this (Table 6.18).

Influence over decisions in local area

Less than one in five adults (18%) felt they could influence decisions affecting their local area. At the same time, nearly one in three adults (33%) want to be more involved in the decisions their council make that affect their local area (Table 6.16).

Respondents aged 16 to 24 were more likely to want to be involved in decisions in their local area than respondents aged 75 and over (28% compared to 19%) (Table 6.17). Adults from the 20% least deprived were the most likely of all SIMD quintiles to want to be more involved in the decisions their council make (38%) (Table 6.18).

How important adults think it is to vote in local council elections

In 2022, 86% of adults in Scotland thought it was very or fairly important to vote in local council elections (Table 6.23).