Scottish Social Attitudes 2021/22 - core module: technical information

Appendix A: Questions

The following are the questions asked as part of the Core module on SSA 2021/22.

"Thinking back over the last twelve months, that is since {Textfill: month of interview} 2020, would you say that since then the standard of the health service in Scotland has increased or fallen?"

1 Increased a lot

2 Increased a little

3 Stayed the same

4 Fallen a little

5 Fallen a lot

"What do you think this has been mainly the result of…?"

1 Mainly the result of the UK government's policies at Westminster

2 Mainly the result of the Scottish Government's policies

3 For some other reason

4 Spontaneous: 'Both Westminster and Scottish Government'

"Thinking back over the last 12 months, that is since {month of interview} 2020, would you say that since then the general standard of living in Scotland has increased or fallen?"

1 Increased a lot

2 Increased a little

3 Stayed the same

4 Fallen a little

5 Fallen a lot

"What do you think this has been mainly the result of?"

1 Mainly the result of the UK government's policies at Westminster

2 Mainly the result of the Scottish Government's policies

3 For some other reason

4 Spontaneous: 'Both Westminster and Scottish Government'

"And what about Scotland's economy? Has it got stronger or weaker since {month of interview} 2020?"

1 A lot stronger

2 A little stronger

3 Stayed the same

4 A little weaker

5 A lot weaker

"What do you think this has been mainly the result of?"

1 Mainly the result of the UK government's policies at Westminster

2 Mainly the result of the Scottish Government's policies

3 For some other reason

4 Spontaneous: 'Both Westminster and Scottish Government'

"Here is a list of things the Scottish Government could try and achieve. Which do you think should be its highest priority, that is the most important thing it should try and do?"

1 Improve standards of education

2 Improve housing

3 Improve the economy

4 Improve people's health

5 Cut crime

6 Reduce environmental problems

7 Improve public transport

8 Reduce inequality

9 Other (SPECIFY)

"In general, how good would you say the Scottish Government is at listening to people's views before it takes decisions?"

1 Very good

2 Quite good,

3 Not very good

4 Not at all good

"And in general, how good would you say the UK government is at listening to people's views before it takes decisions?"

1 Very good

2 Quite good

3 Not very good

4 Not at all good

"And in general, how good would you say your Local Council is at listening to people's views before it takes decisions?"

1 Very good,

2 Quite good,

3 Not very good,

4 Not at all good

"How much do you trust the UK Government to work in Scotland's best interests?"

1 Just about always

2 Most of the time

3 Only some of the time

4 Almost never

"How much do you trust the Scottish Government to work in Scotland's best interests?"

1 Just about always

2 Most of the time

3 Only some of the time

4 Almost never

"How much do you trust the UK government to make fair decisions? (By fair decisions I mean decisions that are fair to different groups of people in the UK)."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Some

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"How much do you trust the Scottish Government to make fair decisions? (By fair decisions I mean decisions that are fair to different groups of people in Scotland)."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Some

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"How much do you trust your Local Council to make fair decisions? (By fair decisions I mean decisions that are fair to different groups of people in your local area)"

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Some

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"Which of the following do you think has most influence over the way Scotland is run...?

1 The Scottish Government

2 The UK Government at Westminster

3 Local councils in Scotland

4 The European Union

"And which do you think ought to have most influence over the way Scotland is run...?"

1 The Scottish Government

2 The UK Government at Westminster

3 Local councils in Scotland

4 The European Union

"Do you think that having a Scottish Parliament is giving Scotland…?"^[8]

1 A stronger voice in the United Kingdom

2 A weaker voice in the United Kingdom

3 Or is it making no difference

"From what you have seen and heard so far, do you think that having a Scottish Parliament is giving Scotland…?"

1 A stronger voice in the United Kingdom,

2 A weaker voice in the United Kingdom

3 Or is it making no difference

"Do you think that having a Scottish Parliament is giving ordinary people…?"^[9]

1 More say in how Scotland is governed

2 Less say

3 Or, is it making no difference

"From what you have seen and heard so far, do you think that having a Scottish Parliament is giving ordinary people...?"

1 More say in how Scotland is governed

2 Less say

3 Is it making no difference

"Now some statements about voting in elections. Some people say that it's very important to vote in elections, while some people say it is not important at all. How important do you think it is to vote in Scottish Parliament elections?"

1 Very important

2 Fairly important

3 Not very important

4 Not important at all

"How important do you think it is to vote in elections to the UK House of Commons?"

1 Very important

2 Fairly important

3 Not very important

4 Not important at all

"How important do you think it is to vote in local council elections?"

1 Very important

2 Fairly important

3 Not very important

4 Not important at all

"And now for a new topic.

The next few questions are about your views on how public service organisations (such as GP surgeries, hospitals, or the police) and private companies (such as supermarkets, online retailers, or banks) use your personal data. By 'personal data' we mean information such as your name, address, and health or credit records.

How much do you trust public service organisations to use your personal data only for acceptable purposes?"^[10]

HELP: What are public service organisations? "Public service organisations' include GP surgeries, hospitals, and the police."

(HELP: What are personal data? "By 'personal data' we mean information such as your name, address, and health or credit records."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Somewhat

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"And how much do you trust private companies to use your personal data only for acceptable purposes?"

( HELP: What are private companies? "'Private companies' include supermarkets, online retailers, and banks."

( HELP: What are personal data? "By 'personal data' we mean information such as your name, address, and health or credit records."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Somewhat

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"How much do you trust private companies to use your personal data only for acceptable purposes?"
(HELP: What are private companies? "'Private companies' include supermarkets, online retailers, and banks."

(HELP: What are personal data? "By 'personal data' we mean information such as your name, address, and health or credit records."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Somewhat

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"And how much do you trust public service organisations to use your personal data only for acceptable purposes?"

(HELP: What are public service organisations? "Public service organisations' include GP surgeries, hospitals, and the police."

(HELP: What are personal data? "By 'personal data' we mean information such as your name, address, and health or credit records."

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Somewhat

4 Not very much

5 Not at all

"How much say, if any, should 11-to 15-year olds in Scotland have in decisions that affect their lives?"

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Some

4 Not very much

5 None at all

"How much say, if any, should 16-to 18-year olds in Scotland have in decisions that affect their lives?"

1 A great deal

2 Quite a lot

3 Some

4 Not very much

5 None at all

"Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people?"

1 Most people can be trusted

2 Can't be too careful in dealing with people

"Please tell me how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statement: 'I feel that there are people in this area I could turn to for advice and support.'"

HELP: Who is meant by 'people' for advice and support? "Advice and support refers to advice and support from friends/relatives/neighbours, NOT professional help."

1 Agree strongly

2 Agree

3 Neither agree nor disagree

4 Disagree

5 Disagree strongly