ONLY 3% of people in Scotland believe the UK Government has been successful in reducing the divide between high and low earners, according to new research.
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) found 53% in Scotland agree the Government has the greatest responsibility for reducing the pay gap – but only a small minority back its success.
In the same study with people in England, 55% agree on Government responsibility while 6% feel ministers have been successful.
NatCen used the same questions about social inequality on both its British Social Attitudes and its Scottish Social Attitudes surveys to better compare views on either side of the Border.
The research institute said the results confirm the view that Scotland “may be slightly more ‘left wing’ than people in England”.
Other areas of the research found similarities in attitudes, with 72% of people in Scotland describing income distribution as “unfair” or “very unfair” along with 65% in England.
However around seven in 10 Scots who support independence (73%) or the SNP (70%) say the UK Government is “very unsuccessful” or “quite unsuccessful” in reducing the divide between high and low earners.
Only around half of pro-Union supporters in Scotland (55%) and half of Conservative voters in England (53%) said the same.
Elsewhere, nearly half of people in Scotland (44%) said they think taxes for high earners are too low or much too low, while in England 36% think they are too low and 33% feel they are about right.
James Yarde, NatCen senior statistician, said: “This new research confirms the long-held view that people in Scotland may be slightly more ‘left wing’ than people in England.
“Yet where differences in views on inequality do exist, they may reflect political identities more than anything else.
“People in Scotland who support independence are, for example, much more likely to express dissatisfaction with the British Government’s record on reducing social inequality.
“Addressing national and regional inequalities within the UK was a core theme of the Scottish independence campaign and we might expect this issue to feature prominently once again now that independence is back at the forefront of Scottish politics.”
Boris Johnson promised to close the gap between rich and poor with his “levelling up” agenda which aims to tackle long-term inequalities by making investment in infrastructure and shifting resources out of London.
The Prime Minister sees the programme as crucial for holding on to seats in the “red wall” — areas of England traditionally represented by Labour and that supported leaving the EU.
But Johnson’s plans have been disrupted by the financial cost of coronavirus and the prospect of further growing economic inequality the pandemic has brought.
Today’s poll is more bad news for Johnson regarding Scots’ views of his leadership.
A survey last month found Scots described the PM’s running of the UK as “incompetent” and “ineffective” – in contrast with positive views of Nicola Sturgeon and her administration.
Some 2093 voters were asked to rate the two governments in ways such as competence, effectiveness, responsiveness, communication and empathy, with the survey carried out between September 25 and October 5. Sixty-seven per cent thought the Scottish Government competent but 70% of people thought the UK Government is not competent.
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