Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker - August 2024

Written By David Hume Institute

29th August 2024

Our independent quarterly tracker has revealed that one in three (36%) people living in Scotland consider the cost of living as one of their top concerns, down 12 percentage points year on this time last year.

According to the Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker from the David Hume Institute and polling experts the Diffley Partnership, while concern about the cost of living has fallen, healthcare remains the key concern for the public, selected by over half (51%) of respondents as a key worry.

The data was collected at the start of August, a month after the General Election, against a backdrop of economic insecurity, mounting concern about public expenditure and a wave of anti-migrant riots.In our first survey since the General Election, data reveals some green shoots of optimism.

  • Over half (54%) of people in Scotland believe that general economic conditions are worse now than a year ago - a considerable fall from the 2 in 3 (66%) that agreed with this statement in May.

  • 1 in 3 (35%) of those that express an opinion believe that general economic conditions are about the same as they were in August of last year, an increase of 11%. 

  • 15% of households with children say they feel better off than a year ago, compared to 10% reporting the same in August 2023 and 9% in August 2022.

David Hume Institute https://www.davidhumeinstitute.org
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