Scotland

The State of the State 2021/22
State of the State 2021/22

Since 2012, The State of the State has reported on the growing divergence between the politics and policies of the devolved administrations and the UK Government. This year sees a more complex picture as our survey finds different perspectives on government and on social mobility across the UK’s four nations, but some convergence of attitudes to public spending.

During the austerity years of the last decade, our citizen survey found the public backing higher levels of public spending and higher levels of tax to fund it. That was especially true in Scotland, where the public were consistently the UK’s most keen on a higher tax and higher spend environment.

The State of the State 2021/22

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Trust in government varies between administrations


Our survey found that people in Scotland and Wales trust their devolved governments more than the UK Government, likely driven by immediacy, relevance and their sense of identity. People in Northern Ireland, perhaps still reeling from 590 days without an Executive, show lower levels of trust.

A shift in attitudes to tax and spend


Perhaps driven by concerns over the cost of the pandemic on the public purse, and worries over household incomes, our survey this year found the public evenly split over tax and spend, bringing Scotland in line with those in the rest of the UK.

Pessimism persists


Levels of optimism for future are as limited in Scotland as the rest of the UK, with the majority of the public believing their infrastructure and other elements of public life are unlikely to improve. Some 58 per cent of the Scottish public fear that the strength of the Union is set to get worse.

The State of the State

The State of the State 2021/22

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Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

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The State of the State 2021/22

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Our research

The State of the State 2021/22 is a report compiled in partnership between Deloitte and Reform. Alongside an Ipsos MORI survey of more than 5,000 members of the UK public on their views of government and public services, we interviewed more than 50 senior public sector figures including permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants, police chief constables, council chief executives, NHS leaders and elected representatives past and present. Together, this blend of quantitative and qualitative data provides a view of the state according to the people who depend on it and the people who run it.

Key contacts

Jayson Hadley

Lead Partner, Government & Public Services UK

Ed Roddis

Director, Public Sector Research

Angela Mitchell

Partner