Scots increasingly dissatisfied with public services like hospitals and schools

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scots are increasingly fed-up with the state of key public services like hospitals, schools and transport.The results of the 2022 Scottish Household Survey (SHS) found just two out of five adults said they were satisfied with services in their local area.Just over half of Scots were content in 2019 - but that figure has now plummeted to just 40 per cent.The SHS is considered the gold standard in measuring public attitudes as its results are based on around 10,500 interviews with households across the country.The Lib Dems said there was "an overwhelming feeling that Scotland is on the wrong track under the SNP".Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville blamed the covid pandemic for putting "many of our public services under great strain".The research also found only 10 per cent of people trust the Scottish Government greatly, while 17 per cent distrust it greatly.Just half of households said they were managing well financially in 2022, compared to 56 per cent in 2019.The report noted that "satisfaction with public services was generally higher prior to the Covid-19 pandemic".And the proportion of people satisfied with the quality of local schools fell from 73 per cent in 2019 to 69 per cent in 2022.The satisfaction rate for public transport went from 68 per cent in 2019 to 58 per cent in 2022, with the latest research showing almost a quarter were dissatisfied.Satisfaction with the three services combined was also found to be higher in the least deprived areas – where it stood at 44 per cent – compared to the least deprived areas, where only 38 per cent were satisfied.The health system was the public institution with the highest level of trust – with a quarter of people saying they trusted this a great deal, while