SEVEN in ten Welsh people don't trust Westminster to look after their country's interests, a YouGov survey has found.
Pro-independence group Yes Cymru say the results of the newly-published poll, which was carried out last week, are “startling”.
They show public trust in the devolved government of Wales is far higher than in Boris Johnson's UK administration.
Sion Jobbins, chair of YesCymru, says Westminster's handling of the Covid-19 crisis has changed the way Welsh people look at politics.
He said: “This crisis has really revealed the flaws in the British political system. Westminster governments don’t care about Wales.”
According to the results, 65% of respondents trust the Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, to look after the interests of the people of Wales — compared with only 28% for the UK Parliament.
A total of 72% of those asked said they do not trust the Westminster parliament.
That includes 41% of those who voted Tory in December's general election, and a huge 86% or Labour voters.
And 60% of people who voted to leave the EU in 2016 also said they don't trust Westminster.
Meanwhile, 64% of respondents said the UK Government has performed badly in response to the pandemic.
That's in stark contrast to the 78% approval rating for the Welsh Government's handling of the crisis.
Jobbins said: “People are more aware than ever of the benefits of having the people of Wales run their own affairs.
“We have seen with Covid-19 that small independent nations, such as New Zeland, and also our neighbours the Republic of Ireland, can react quickly and efficiently to an international crisis.
“It's proven that being a small independent country isn't a disadvantage at all. Wales has done well, but people are starting to think, how much better could we have done as an independent nation?”
He went on: “Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, membership of YesCymru has tripled.
“People have seen that the Senedd dealt with the crisis better once they stopped deferring to Westminster, and many people are starting to ask themselves, what else could Wales have done better had it not bowed down and faithfully followed Westminster?
“Support for independence is on the rise, and Boris Johnson’s disastrous government in London is a big force in driving that.”
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