The study compares findings from the Scottish Social Attitudes survey of 2000 with earlier measures of Scottish public opinion taken shortly after the Referendum in 1997 and also after the first Scottish parliamentary election in 1999. “The opinions offered by these surveys provide a very important set of benchmarks to counter some of the wilder press speculation concerning both Scottish and English views on devolution,” argues Professor McCrone. “Most importantly the surveys show that those who predicted the end of the Union as we know it, as well as those who simply saw devolution as a form of government subsidiary to Westminster were mistaken.”
The latest survey, carried out only 12 months after the Parliament was established, shows that the Scottish feel less empowered politically than they expected prior to devolution.
At the time of the referendum, around seven out of ten Scots believed the parliament would give Scotland a stronger voice in the UK, and that it would give ordinary people more say in how Scotland is governed. By 2000, only half of those surveyed expressed similar optimism.
“People may have downsized their expectations but that doesn’t mean they think setting up the Scottish parliament was a mistake,” Professor McCrone insists. “More than seven in ten of those surveyed in 2000 expressed the view that the Scottish Parliament should matter more than Westminster. They certainly don’t think it should be a subordinate parliament. The Scottish are pretty sure that England does much better out of the Union than Scotland. Some 59% of those surveyed in 2000 thought that Scotland got less than its fair share of UK spending. This is also reflected in terms of which parliament Scots trust most to work in Scotland’s long-term interests. The best Westminster could do was in 1997, when 35% of Scots thought they could trust it all or most of the time. Now, only 17% trust Westminster compared with 53% who trust Edinburgh.”
The Scottish demand for greater powers at Holyrood is not, however, accompanied by a headlong rush to Independence. While in 1997 some 42% of those surveyed thought that devolution made it more likely that Scotland would eventually leave the UK, by 2000 the view was more relaxed, with only 27% thinking it would do so. “These findings suggest that the Scots seem relatively content with their parliament, while seeing it as part of a longer-term process which may well enhance its powers, and move it further in the direction of greater autonomy as and when its people judge,” Professor McCrone concludes.
For further information, contact Professor David McCrone at the University of Edinburgh. Tel: 0131-650-2459, Email: David.Mccrone@ed.ac.uk. Or contact Lesley Lilley or Karen Emerton in ESRC External Relations. Tel: 01793-413119/413122.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Findings are drawn from the British and Scottish election survey of 1997, the Referendum survey of 1999, the Scottish parliamentary election survey of 1999, and the Scottish Social Attitudes survey of 2000.
2. The ESRC is the UK’s largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It has a track record of providing high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and government. The ESRC invests around £46 million every year in social science research. At any time, its range of funding schemes may be supporting 2,000 researchers within academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences, thereby nurturing the researchers of tomorrow. The ESRC website address is http://www.esrc.ac.uk.
3. REGARD is the ESRC’s bibliographic database accessible via the World Wide Web. It provides a key source of information on ESRC social science research awards and all associated publications and products. The website can be found at http://www.regard.ac.uk