Public trust in the SNP plummets to all time low amid growing concerns about Scotland’s NHS

Trust in the SNP Government has plunged to an all-time low amid serious concerns about the NHS.

Public discontent is its highest since devolution began in 1999, according to new figures.

For the first time, most Scots no longer trust the Scottish Government to work in the country’s best interests, and barely a third believe it is good at listening to people.

Satisfaction levels for the health service have undergone a staggering decline since the Covid pandemic, down from 64 per cent in 2019 to just 23 per cent last year.

Opposition parties said the findings from the authoritative Scottish Social Attitudes survey were an ‘utterly damning indictment’ of 17 years of nationalist rule.

First Minister John Swinney’s government faces record levels of public discontent

The findings cast new light on the SNP’s general election hammering and the scale of the challenge First Minister John Swinney faces trying to stay in power at Holyrood in 2026.

The survey, which has asked the same questions most years since 1999, found striking shifts in how Scots viewed the Scottish Government between 2019 and 2023.

The proportion of people who said they trusted the government to work in Scotland’s interests was down from 61 to 47 per cent.

Those who feel it is good at listening fell from 51 to 35 per cent and the percentage of people who think the Scottish Government ought to have most influence running Scotland fell from 73 to 61.

With waiting lists soaring post-pandemic, for the first time more people were dissatisfied with the state of the NHS than were satisfied with it, 52 compared to 23 per cent.

Those saying the standard of the NHS fell the previous year jumped from 45 to 69 per cent.

Although the NHS is devolved, people tended to blame the Westminster and Scottish governments equally for its problems, or just the UK Government.

The online survey questioned 1,574 over-16s in September and October when inflation was around 7 per cent and the average annual household energy bill almost £2000.

In 2019, half of Scots said the general standard of living had declined the previous year, but this hit a record 83 per cent in 2023.

The proportion of people saying the Scottish Government’s top priority should be economic growth rose from 23 to 42 per cent.

Support for hiking taxes to spend more on health, education and benefits fell from 55 to 47 per cent, while support for tax cuts grew from 4 to 12 per cent.

Pollster Professor Sir John Curtice said the next Holyrood election remained ‘up in the air’, as much depended on how the UK Labour government performed and the fallout from the SNP police probe.

‘The challenge to the SNP will be: can they unite, can they begin to turn around some of the public services for which they’re responsible, and can they win back the folk who would vote Yes but voted for the Labour party?’ 

Tory MSP Tess White said Scots were ‘sick and tired’ of SNP ministers ‘having their eye off the ball and focusing on their independence obsession’.

She said they must ‘heed the findings of this survey and focus on people’s real priorities’.

Scottish Labour deputy Dame Jackie Baillie said: ‘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.’

Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie added: ‘Scotland needs good governance not SNP chaos.’

SNP parliamentary business minister Jamie Hepburn said: ‘The survey – which will be studied closely – shows broad backing for our priorities of growing a thriving economy, ensuring sustainable and excellent public services, and tackling the climate emergency.’

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