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.

Additionally, in this interim period before new Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) results become available, it has been important for the Authority to have a consistent time series of data to inform its oversight and scrutiny of policing in 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 the third phase of polling carried out during July 2023 and covers views on policing, and the specific subjects of antisocial behaviour and institutional discrimination. The full report, produced by the Diffley Partnership on behalf of the Authority, can be found as Appendix A.

In total there were 2,718 responses between 18th-23rd July. 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.