MORE than 60% of Scots believe the UK Government “lacks honesty”, according to new research.
A study examined the way people around the UK regarded official communications on Covid-19. Researchers from the University of Kent worked with Belong, the Cohesion and Integration Network, to gauge reactions to the messages coming out of Westminster, Holyrood and the Senedd. They discovered that most Scots believe what they hear from Holyrood – but not from London.
A massive 64% of the public thinks the information released by the UK Government “lacked honesty and credibility”, the study found.
“Respondents from Scotland were especially negative towards the UK Government communication,” researchers wrote, “with a majority finding it to lack honesty, empathy, and not corresponding to the community’s needs.”
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Just 22% of Scots said the same was true about Scottish Government messaging. Scotland also had the highest percentage of people who saw UK Government communications as being difficult to access (31%) and a similar level found local government information hard to access (37%) – but the lowest percentage to rate the devolved government’s communication to be hard to access (13%).
Similar results were found for perceptions of the information released by the local and devolved government in Wales.
The work was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and involved more than 9000 people across the UK. Respondents were asked to what extent they regarded communication from each source to be “clear, and in language I could understand”, “honest and credible”, “showing empathy”, “accessible to me, and easy to find”, and “corresponding to what my community needed”. These were answered using a five-point scale ranging from “not at all” to “completely”.
The report concluded “the Scottish devolved and local government are in a stronger position to influence behaviour because they are likely to be regarded as trusted and credible. But this can only be built upon if they have the resources to increase their ability to make crucial information more widely accessible”.
During the pandemic, the Scottish Government was praised for bringing in sign language translators for pandemic briefings. A campaign then followed to get Downing Street to do the same.
And while there was confusion about some of the slogans emanating from Number 10 – ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’ was roundly criticised in May 2020 – these weren’t adopted by Scottish agencies.
Professor Dominic Abrams, director of the Centre for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Kent, said: “Many people have faced uncertainty about what we can and cannot do over the past year. Among people living in Scotland, the Scottish Government’s communication about Covid-19 in the past year is held in much higher regard that from the UK Government across all questions asked.”
Jo Broadwood, Belong’s chief executive officer, added: “People in Scotland expressed the largest differences in perception of local and devolved versus UK Government communication. Our research clearly demonstrates the need for greater coordination and collaboration between the UK Government and devolved and local government to ensure that key messages are conveyed with clarity and empathy, especially during a time of crisis.”
Alex Beer of the Nuffield Foundation said: “As Covid-19 restrictions continue to be relaxed, a greater reliance is being placed on personal responsibility. It is therefore important people have credible and trustworthy sources of information and advice.”
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Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf (above) said: “We are currently dealing with the biggest crisis our country has faced since wartime, so it is heartening to see that the Scottish Government's communication about Covid-19 is rated so highly and that most Scots respondents found Scottish Government communications to be clear, credible, and accessible.
“Throughout the pandemic we have recognised the importance of maintaining public trust and confidence which has been absolutely vital in allowing us to control the virus effectively. We will strive to do all we can to maintain and deliver upon this trust and see the country through this challenging period, ensuring that vital information about defeating the virus continues to be easily accessible.
“We thank everyone for playing their part in getting vaccinated and adhering to restrictions as their efforts and sacrifices help us move beyond Level 0.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We don’t agree with this assessment of our communications efforts. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have set out clear, consistent and targeted instructions about what people need to do to prevent the spread of the disease and stay safe. Our public information campaigns have reached an estimated 95% of adults an average of 17 times a week, and we have collaborated closely with local government and devolved administrations.”
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