Wellbeing in Scotland stalls but remains above UK average

The wellbeing of the people of Scotland did not improve in the last year but remains slightly higher than the UK average, according to new research from Carnegie UK. However, the new data shows increased dissatisfaction with local job opportunities, low levels of trust in key institutions and persistent inequalities.

A survey of 6,731 adults across the UK including 1,046 in Scotland, conducted in late May after the Scottish Parliament election, provided the fourth consecutive year of data for Carnegie UK’s Life in the UK research programme.

The Index shows Scotland’s overall collective wellbeing score remains stable at 63 out of 100 compared to the UK score of 61 out of 100, sustaining the progress made in 2025 and higher than in 2023 when Carnegie established the index.

However, beneath the headline results lies a more complex picture. Satisfaction with local job opportunities has fallen significantly since 2023. The findings also reveal persistent inequalities, with wellbeing continuing to vary according to income, disability status and housing tenure.

Carnegie’s Index looks at social, economic, environmental and democratic aspects of wellbeing in the country. Democratic wellbeing, which measures whether people believe they have influence over decisions that affect them, remains Scotland’s weakest area, with a score of just 40 out of 100. The score is particularly low among disabled people in Scotland at 34, eight points below the score for people who are not disabled.

More than half of people in Scotland (52%) report low trust in the UK Government, although this has improved since 2023 and 2024. By comparison, 34% report low trust in the Scottish Government. While trust in the Scottish Government has also improved over the past year, overall levels of trust remain relatively low. However trust in large technology companies has declined significantly since 2023 while trust in banks is now higher than all previous years of the index.

Scotland’s environmental wellbeing score has improved since 2023 and remains higher than the UK average. While this is encouraging, the findings suggest there is still work to do. Four in five people in Scotland continue to experience problems with litter, while around half report problems with noise.

There are encouraging signs that some aspects of financial security are improving. Since 2023, more people in Scotland report being able to afford to keep their home adequately warm and meet an unexpected expense of £850, indicating greater resilience to financial shocks.

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of Carnegie UK, said: “Now in its fourth year, this research shows wellbeing in Scotland holding up but also reveals the huge challenges ahead of us. Too many people in Scotland are leading lives that are unacceptably hard. This should focus the minds of government decision makers.

“While Scotland performs slightly better than the UK average, there are real concerns about local economic opportunities and low levels of trust in key institutions.

“Scotland’s political leaders need to make a systematic approach to improving people’s lives central to their decision-making. As a start, the Scottish Government should put an improved National Performance Framework, the country’s key tool for working towards better outcomes for its people, at the heart of its plans for the parliamentary term ahead.”

Heather Fisken, CEO of Inclusion Scotland, said: “Inclusion Scotland welcomes the findings of Carnegie’s Life in the UK 2026 report for Scotland. Though we are disappointed, we are not necessarily surprised that the data reveals disabled people and people living in social housing tend to have lower wellbeing scores across collective, democratic, economic and social wellbeing. As disabled people are more likely to live in social housing, these inequalities are often connected and compounded.

“These findings underline the need for intersectional approaches to tackle inequality in Scotland. Wellbeing cannot be separated from the circumstances we live in or the interconnected barriers we face.”

Contact

Stuart Mackinnon [email protected] / 07934 296831
Claire Martin – [email protected] – 07921 480526