Scottish Social Attitudes Survey Explained

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, started in 1999, is an annual survey of public opinion in Scotland, funded by the public purse.

Conducted by the Scottish branch of NatCen Social Research, in conjunction with the Unit for the Study of Government in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh, it is largely funded by the Scottish Government and its agencies.

The 1999 survey also functioned as the Scottish Parliament Election Study.^[1]

2010 Survey

The 2010 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey core finding was that just 28% of respondents supported Scottish independence, a lower level than in two recent social attitude studies. A majority support "devo max" (maximum devolution)^[2] with 60% of respondents wanting the Scottish Parliament to control Scotland's £18 billion welfare bill (including power over public pensions and benefits), and a majority (59%) also supported taxation levels being decided in Edinburgh rather than London.^[3] This goes further than the conclusions of the Calman Report.

The survey found that most Scots only supported powers over defence, foreign affairs and monetary policy remaining with the UK Government.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Economic and Social Data Service. 26 January 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100310001701/http://www.esds.ac.uk/government/ssa/. 10 March 2010. dmy-all.
2. News: Nationalists take extra care choosing day to fit the bill. 22 January 2010. Edinburgh Evening News. 26 January 2010.
3. News: Scots want greater tax-raising powers for Holyrood, survey finds. 14 January 2010. The Guardian. 26 January 2010 . London . Severin . Carrell.