Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2023 - Attitudes to Government, the Economy, and the Health Service
Findings from the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey core module 2023.
In 2023, SSAS was run as a push-to-web survey for the first time in its history.
These questions covered attitudes to: government, the standard of living, the health service, and tax, spending, and redistribution.
1. Introduction
The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSAS) has been conducted annually (with the exception of 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020) by the independent research organisation ScotCen since the advent of devolution in 1999, gathering nationally representative data on the social and political views of the Scottish public. In 2023, SSAS was run as a push-to-web survey for the first time in its history, having been a face-to-face survey between 1999 and 2019, and run once as a push-to-telephone survey in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions[i]. Detailed analysis of this change in methodology from face-to-face to push-to-web is available in an accompanying technical report.
SSAS has a modular structure, with a ‘Core Module’ which has been consistently commissioned by the Scottish Government since 2004[ii], and modules on different topics being commissioned by a number of funders each year. The Core Module typically consists of thirty questions on attitudes toward government and public services. Due to the experimental nature of the 2023 survey – with the piloting of a new online mode of data collection – only a limited version of the Core Module was run. These questions covered attitudes to:
- government,
- the standard of living,
- the health service,
- and tax, spending, and redistribution.
These Core Module questions produce valuable data and were, in general, part of the longer timeseries (starting in 1999) and were therefore used to investigate comparability with previous years of SSAS as part of the review of the impact of the mode change from face-to-face to push-to-web.
Mode change and comparability
For this experimental SSAS, we tested the impact of the mode change on the achieved sample, the distribution of responses to attitudinal questions, and the suitability of question design. Overall, we found that the push-to-web mode was robust and provided similar weighted demographic data to the face-to-face SSAS. On the basis of this, the SSAS 2023 technical report, published alongside this findings report, concludes that most of the 2023 Core Module findings can be compared with the SSAS timeseries. Therefore, timeseries comparison is included for the majority of the 2023 data in this report. However, we are highlighting the mode change in all timeseries comparison charts through shading to acknowledge the uncertainties surrounding comparability. It is important to note that while we were able to test for the impact of the mode change on the sample, distribution of responses, and question design, we were not able to account for the impact of the absence of an interviewer and any other elements which may have impacted the survey comparability.
Two Core Module questions had to be significantly adapted to feature in the online survey which meant that these questions are not comparable with the timeseries – this is flagged in the report.
It should also be noted that while we found that SSAS 2023 provided a largely similar sample to previous years, there was a marked drop in the proportion of people who identified as having a long-term health condition. If a push-to-web SSAS Core Module is run again, this will need to be addressed to ensure SSAS is representative of the Scottish population. The findings of this experimental SSAS Core Module should therefore be considered as a contribution to the growing evidence-base surrounding mode effects. The mode change and the future of the SSAS Core Module will be further explored through an upcoming review, as detailed below.
Fieldwork and analysis
Fieldwork was carried out from the 12th September 2023 to the 31st October 2023. A stratified, random probability sample of Scottish private households was drawn from the Postcode Address File to produce a representative sample. Letters were then sent to the selected addresses inviting up to two adults aged 16 and over to take part online. Three subsequent reminder letters were sent to each address that had not yet completed the survey. SSAS 2023 achieved a sample size of 1,574 completed surveys from an issued sample of 7,749 addresses representing an overall response rate of 15.1%. The last two times SSAS was fielded using face-to-face interviewing in 2019 and 2017, the sample sizes were 1,022 and 1,234 respectively, and the response rates were 41% and 50% respectively.
All percentages cited in this report are based on the weighted data and are rounded to the nearest whole number. A percentage may be quoted in the text for a single category that aggregates two or more of the percentages shown in a table. The percentage for the single category may, because of rounding, differ by one percentage point from the sum of the percentages in the table. Differences shown in this publication are calculated using unrounded figures and may differ from the rounded figures shown in the text.
Where differences between subgroups are described in the text of the report, these differences were determined to be statistically significant using chi-squared tests (with the Holm–Bonferroni method used to correct for false positives).
Not all subgroup analysis is presented in detail in this report. A full list of statistically significant associations is provided in annex C, and the associated tables are available alongside the report.
An Official Statistics in Development Publication for Scotland
These statistics are official statistics in development. Official statistics in development may be new or existing statistics, and will be tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
A review of the Core Module of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey will be carried out by the Scottish Government in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics to ensure the data meets the needs of users. This will involve engagement with users on the experimental mode change from face-to-face to push-to-web as well as the questionnaire content. More information on how users can be involved in the review will be published on the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey page on the Scottish Government website.
Scottish Government statistics are regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
More information about Scottish Government statistics is available on the Scottish Government website.
Contact
Email: CIMA@gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback