Routine Public Polling

There has been significant value to the Authority in undertaking this independent and representative polling to complement a range of external data sources from both Scottish Government and Police Scotland.

Independent polling of the Scottish public provides the Authority with a better understanding of public trust and confidence and variation in this across the population, by analysing opinion from a broad representation of the demographic profile of the country.  Providing these insights, and demonstrating that they have been
taken into account in shaping policing practices and activities, also builds awareness and understanding of, and subsequently informs support for, operational policing activity.

This paper presents findings from polling carried out at the end of January 2024. This latest polling includes our core questions on the public’s trust and confidence in policing, and looks at how the position currently stands in comparison to previous points in time. Questions have also been asked about the public’s trust and confidence in other institutions in Scotland, as well as whether people have shifted their view over time.

In total there were 2,587 responses between 23rd-26th January 2024. This is a sufficiently large enough sample to be representative of the adult population in Scotland and allow a degree of disaggregation, which is central to upholding the validity of statistical observations and inferences. Data tables are also weighted to make them representative of gender and age.

The full report, produced by the Diffley Partnership on behalf of the Authority, can be found as Appendix A.