The survey, conducted in September and October 2024, found that under half ( 47%) of participants said they trust the Scottish government to work in Scotland’s best interests, down from 61% in 2019 and 81% when devolution began in 1999.

Edinburgh-based ScotCen is part of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). ScotCen has conducted the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA) annually (with the exception of 2008, 2018, 2020 and 2022 ) since 1999, collecting nationally representative data on the views of the Scottish public.

Earlier this year, NatCen published results of its annual British Social Attitudes (BSA) research, showing that a record low of 12% of the British public trust governments to ‘put the country’s interest before their party’s interests ‘just about always’ or ‘most of the time’.       

The most recent SSA survey ran in September and October 2024 and had an achieved sample size of 1,208 people aged 16 and over in Scotland.

The survey also found that support for Scottish independence stood at 47% in 2024, up from 27% when devolution began in 1999.

Satisfaction with the NHS in Scotland was at 22% in 2024, a level comparable with the rest of Britain and the lowest level of satisfaction since the time series began in 1999.

Meanwhile, just over two in five adults in Scotland ( 41%) said they were living comfortably or doing alright financially, while around one in four ( 24%) reported that they were really struggling. According to ScotCen, these figures represent ‘marginal improvements’ from data collected a year before in 2023, they remain significantly less positive than before the pandemic.

Paul Bradshaw, director of the Scottish Centre for Social Research, said: "These latest results show a clear decline in trust in the Scottish government, alongside continued concern about public services and the economy. While Scots remain strongly attached to their Scottish identity, our data suggest that confidence in political institutions is under pressure, a finding that will be important for policymakers and the public alike."