Wales
The 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. People are Wales are the UK’s most convinced that public spending, and the taxes needed to fund it, are set to rise beyond the pandemic.
The State of the State 2021/22
Download the reportTrust in Welsh government outperforms wider UK
The Welsh Government appears to be the most trusted administration in the UK, according to our survey. Across five out of seven criteria, people in Wales ranked their devolved government as more trusted than elsewhere.
A shift in attitudes to tax and spend
Preferences towards tax and spending have shifted in Wales along the same lines as the rest of the UK with the public broadly split on the ideal balance. However, Wales stands out as the nation least inclined towards cutting taxes and lowering public spending.
Limited post-COVID improvements expected
As in the rest of the UK, the Welsh public expects society to stay much the same as it was before the pandemic, with limited optimism for improvements in the years ahead. More than half feel that the strength of the Union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could get worse – which is slightly more pessimistic than the English but notably more optimistic than the Scottish and Northern Irish.
The State of the State 2021/22
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
The State of the State 2021/22
Download the reportOur 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
Ian Howse
Partner