Scottish Social Attitudes 2015: Attitudes to Government, the National Health Service, the Economy and Standard of Living

Key findings

Attitudes to government

• In 2015, almost 3 in 4 people (73%) said they trusted the Scottish Government to act in Scotland's best long-term interest compared with 23% who said this of the UK Government. The Scottish Government was also more trusted than the UK Government to make fair decisions (49% compared with 18%). 34% trusted their local council to make fair decisions.
• 3 in 5 (59%) thought the Scottish Government was good at listening to people's views before it takes decisions compared with 44% who thought this of their local council and 17% who thought this of the UK Government.
• A substantial majority thought that having a Scottish Parliament gives ordinary people more say in how Scotland is run (61%) and a stronger voice in the UK (70%). This marks a return to the levels in 1999.
• Equal proportions said that the UK (42%) and Scottish (41%) Governments have the most influence over the way Scotland is run. Around three-quarters (76%) thought that the Scottish Government ought to have the most influence, compared with 14% who chose the UK Government.

Views on the National Health Service in Scotland

• Satisfaction levels with the NHS have remained unchanged since 2013, with 62% of people satisfied with the way the NHS runs and 24% dissatisfied.
• There was a significant 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% vs 39%). More people blamed the UK Government than the Scottish Government for these falling standards.

Views on the economy and standard of living in Scotland

• Helping the economy to grow faster was the most commonly chosen priority for Scottish Government action (32%) in 2015.
• 1 in 4 people (26%) thought that the economy had strengthened and 35% that it had weakened in the last year. In contrast, only around 19% thought that the standard of living in Scotland had increased in the last year, while 42% thought it had decreased.
• People were much more likely to 'credit' the Scottish Government than the UK Government with improvements in the economy (54% vs 16%) but only slightly more likely to 'credit' the Scottish Government with an increase in the standard of living (37% vs 28% for the UK Government).
• Conversely, the 'blame' for any perceived fall in the standards of the economy and general living standards were more likely to be attributed to UK Government policies (38% blame the UK Government for a weaker economy compared with 14% blaming the Scottish Government).