TRUST in the Scottish government has fallen to its lowest levels since polling began a quarter of a century ago.

Since the dawn of devolution in 1999, the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey has in almost every year quizzed a representative sample of the Scottish public on a range of subjects from public services to the performance of government itself.

The latest survey, which engaged 1,574 over-16s between September and October last year, found the percentage who said they trust the Scottish government “just about always” or “most of the time” has fallen to 47 per cent.

This is down from 61 per cent in 2019, the last time a comparable survey was conducted.

A decline in the proportion who felt the Scottish government was good at listening to people’s views before taking decisions was also revealed  —  falling from its 2015 peak of 59 per cent to 51 per cent in 2019 and then just 35 per cent in 2023.

Academics at Edinburgh-based Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen), who conducted the survey, also found that satisfaction with Scotland’s NHS had fallen.

Less than a quarter were happy with the running of the service and more than half were “dissatisfied.”

ScotCen’s report for the Scottish government stated: “This is the first year since 2005 where more people were dissatisfied than satisfied with the way the NHS runs.

“This represents the lowest level for satisfaction and highest level for dissatisfaction since the time series began in 1999.”

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie branded the results an “utterly damning indictment” of the Tories’ and the SNP’s records in government.

She said: “Scotland cannot keep paying the price for government failure.

“Labour has got rid of the Tory government and started the process of delivering change across the UK, but with trust in the SNP government at a record low it’s clear we need change in Scotland too.”

SNP Parliamentary Business Minister Jamie Hepburn highlighted the report’s findings that half of respondents wanted Scottish government ministers to redistribute to the poorest.

He said: “The survey demonstrates continued support for the redistribution of wealth and an increasing desire among people to see the economy grow.

“This aligns with the Scottish government’s commitments and how we are working hard to provide support to those who need it most.”