Trust in the Scottish Government is at an “historic low” a survey has found, with fewer than half of people trusting ministers to work in Scotland’s best interests a majority of the time.
The latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey found 46% believe the Scottish Government works in Scotland’s best interests “just about always” or “most of the time”.
The 2025 survey results were down slightly from 47% in 2023, with the latest report noting trust in the Government is “decreasing over time and at a historic low in 2025”.
However trust in the Scottish Government is “consistently higher than in the UK Government” – with the latest survey finding less than one in five people (18%) trust ministers in London to work in Scotland’s best long-term interests “just about always” or “most of the time”. This was down from 21% in 2023.
The survey report said: “As has been the case in all previous years of the survey, the percentage who said they trust the Scottish Government to work in Scotland’s best interests, was higher than the percentage who said they trust the UK Government to work in Scotland’s best long-term interests.”
The survey also found trust in the Scottish Government, UK Government and local government to make “fair decisions” had decreased – with 2025 levels described as being the “lowest in the history of the survey”.
While almost two-fifths (37%) trusted the Scottish Government to make fair decisions in 2019, this had dropped to 23% in 2025 – with the number of people who trust councils to make fair decisions falling from 28% to 13% over the same period.
The 2025 survey also found only 11% trust the UK Government to make fair decisions – with this said to be “broadly similar” to the level of 12% in 2019.
Meanwhile half (50%) of Scots said they were dissatisfied with the way the NHS is run – with less than a quarter (23%) saying they are satisfied with this.
However the 2023 survey found a higher level of dissatisfaction, with 55% unhappy with how the NHS at that time.
Satisfaction with our NHS has collapsed on the SNP’s watch as services have declined
Labour said the number of people who are satisfied with the NHS is down from 51% when the SNP came to power, with party health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie adding: “These stark figures show that our NHS is not working as it should and too many Scots are being let down in their hour of need.
“Satisfaction with our NHS has collapsed on the SNP’s watch as services have declined.
“It’s no wonder people are sounding the alarm about the state of the NHS when hundreds of thousands of Scots are stuck on NHS waiting lists and people are facing dangerously long waits in A&E week after week.
“We have had years of warm words and broken promises from the SNP – now we need action.”
Meanwhile Scottish Liberal Democrats health spokesman Adam Harley said the levels of dissatisfaction with the NHS “come as no surprise”.
The Lib Dem MSP said: “When I speak to constituents, I hear too many cases of people feeling forced to pay for private treatment because they would otherwise have to wait months or even years for NHS care.
“People are losing confidence that they will get the care they need, when they need it.
“The NHS is in real need of reform, modernisation and a relentless focus on what works. Simply carrying on as we are is not an option.”
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said ministers are “determined to repay the trust that the people of Scotland have shown in us”, adding they will “do that by delivering on their priorities”.
She added: “This Government is focused on the things that matter most to the people of Scotland – tackling the cost-of-living crisis, improving the economy, improving access to the NHS, and taking our enormous energy wealth into our own hands.
“We are now determined to deliver our ambitious programme for Scotland and are taking forward a range of commitments, including delivering up to £10,000 support for first-time buyers, legislating to ensure fair food prices, and rolling out a nationwide £2 bus fare cap to support people with the cost of living.”