Expectations of the Scottish Parliament were very high in 1999
81% believed they would trust the Scottish Parliament
'just about always' or 'most of the time', 64% thought having a
Scottish Parliament would give ordinary people more say in how
Scotland is governed, and 70% that it would give Scotland a
stronger voice in the UK.
Back to topThese high expectations were not completely met in practice
By 2006, more people believed having a Scottish Parliament
was making no difference to ordinary people's say in government and
to Scotland's voice in the UK than thought devolution was improving
these things.
Back to topAttitudes were more positive after the 2007 Scottish election
SSA 2007, which took place after the Scottish Election
which saw the SNP form a government in Scotland for the first time,
found significant increases in political trust and in the
proportions saying the parliament was having a positive
impact.
Back to topIn 2009, attitudes were more mixed
For example, levels of trust in the Scottish Government
were not as high as in 2007, but were still higher than they had
been from 2004 to 2006.
Back to topViews of the influence of the Scottish Parliament and Government have shifted over the last decade
In 2000, just 13% thought the devolved Scottish
institutions had most influence over how Scotland is run. By 2009,
this had risen to 33%. But in 2009 it was still the case that more
people thought the UK government had most influence.
Back to topPeople in Scotland are more positive about the Scottish Government than the UK government.
In every year since 1999, SSA has found that people in
Scotland express higher levels of trust in the Scottish Government
than in the UK government, and that they are more likely to feel
the Scottish Government is good at listening to people's views
before taking decisions.
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