This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Perceptions of post-devolution Scotland
12/09/2005
Research has been published today which examines public perceptions of post-devolution Scotland.
The research - carried out by Scottish Centre for Social Research - was based on interviews with 1600 people. It looked at a range of issues, focusing in particular on public attitudes towards devolution and public services.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe said:
"It is crucial that our policies are based on sound evidence and research and that is why we funded this report. It provides valuable information on how people view Scotland after devolution.
"There is absolutely no doubt that the Executive is making a difference to the lives of the people of Scotland. The policies we are putting in place in health, education, crime, transport and jobs and the emphasis we place on growing the economy is all helping to build a better Scotland.
"This research clearly signals that people have high aspirations. We share that ambition and want to step up the pace of delivery and reform."
The key findings of the research include:
- Improving people's health (27 per cent), cutting crime (22 per cent) and improving standards of education (17 per cent) are perceived by the Scottish public as the top three priorities for the Executive
- Over half of people trust the Executive to work in Scotland's best interests, however awareness of the government's activities is fairly low: over the last year, 29 per cent of people had heard a 'great deal' or 'quite a lot' about the Executive
- More people think that standards of education, transport, standard of living and strength of the economy have increased in the last 12 months, than decreased. However, the number of people believing that standards of the health service have increased, fell from 23 per cent in 2001 to 18 per cent in 2004
- Most people consider it very or fairly important to vote in Scottish Parliament, Westminster and local council elections. The most common ways people have used to register their views about an issue are: signing a petition, attending a public meeting and giving money to a campaign or organisation
The Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey was launched by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (part of the National Centre for Social Research) in 1999 and aims to provide an independent and authoritative source of data on attitudes in post-devolution Scotland.
The Executive funded five modules of questions on the 2004 survey. These modules measured public attitudes towards: devolution and Scottish public services; young people and crime; environmental justice; marriage, cohabitation and parenting; and smoking and drinking.