AN overwhelming majority of people in Scotland think the vaccine rollout has been well handled, and more credit the Scottish Government for that than Westminster.
According to the results of a YouGov poll reported in The Times, 82% of Scots think the Edinburgh government has done a good job with the Covid immunisation programme. Just 11% of people were unimpressed.
The poll also found that 43% of people in Scotland credit Nicola Sturgeon’s government with that success.
READ MORE: Revealed: How the UK Government is preparing to stop an independence referendum
In comparison, just 17% of Scots credit the UK Government, which is responsible for vaccine procurement but not delivery, with the rollout’s success. 24% of people spread the credit between the two administrations.
Today’s figures, released by the Scottish Government, say that a total of 1,844,636 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 149,409 have received their second dose.
In England, the latest figures show that 19,587,080 have been given their first jag, and 939,232 have received their second.
These figures mean that England and Scotland are roughly neck-and-neck in terms of percentage of population given the first jag.
The poll results reported in The Times also suggest a slight improvement in perceptions of the UK Government in Scotland since August 2020.
Last summer, just 21% of Scots thought Westminster had performed well through the pandemic. That has now risen to 30%.
This rise of nine points is roughly mirrored by the fall in the number of people in Scotland who believe Westminster has dealt poorly with Covid, which has gone from 76% last summer to 66% today.
In comparison, perceptions of the Scottish Government’s pandemic handling is largely unchanged. 67% of Scots said that Holyrood is handling the crisis well, a fall of 1% compared with 68% at the last time of asking in November.
The number of people who think the Scottish Government has performed badly has risen by 1%, from 28% last year to 29% now.
READ MORE: New figures reveal extent of Brexit's grim impact on Scots food and drink sector
In terms of leadership performance, Boris Johnson has seen a slight boost but is still viewed overwhelming negatively in Scotland.
While 23% of people think he is doing a good job, up from 18%, almost three-quarters (71%) of Scots think Johnson is performing poorly.
Perceptions of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have seen little shift, with the number of Scots who think she is doing a bad job unchanged on 27%. The poll found 68% of people think she is performing well, a fall of two points.
A separate YouGov poll reported in February found 31% of Scots believed Sturgeon’s government had done the most to support business, provide emergency financial backing, and protect the economy through the pandemic.
In comparison, around one-fifth (21%) believed the UK Government had done more.
Of the remaining respondents, 20% said both governments had provided equal support, 12% said neither had provided aid, and 16% said they did not know.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel