Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey was launched by ScotCen Social Research (formerly the Scottish Centre for Social Research) in 1999, following the advent of devolution. Based on annual rounds of interviews of between 1,200 to 1,500 people drawn using probability sampling (based on a stratified, clustered sample), it aims to facilitate the study of public opinion and inform the development of public policy in Scotland, similar to the British Social Attitudes (BSA) series (held at the Archive under GN 33168). The SSA survey has been conducted annually each year since 1999, with the exception of 2008. The survey has a modular structure. In any one year it typically contains three to five modules, each containing 40 questions. Funding for its first two years came from the Economic and Social Research Council, while from 2001 onwards different bodies have funded individual modules each year. These bodies have included the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scottish Government and various charitable and grant awarding bodies, such as the Nuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust. Further information on the SSA and links to publications may be found on the ScotCen Social Research Scottish Social Attitudes webpages.

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, 2019 fieldwork ran between August 2019 and March 2020. There was a five-week pause in fieldwork during the pre-election period, with no interviews taking place between 6.11.2019 and 12.12.2019.  Interviews were conducted using face-to-face computer-assisted interviewing. The survey also included a self-completion section, which was completed by the respondent by Computer Assisted Self Interviewing (where the respondent read the questions from the laptop screen and entered their answers into the laptop).The 2019 survey contained modules of questions on attitudes to government and who should make decisions, views on the Scottish economy and living standards, politics and voting, attitudes to violence against women and intra-household distribution of resources, all funded by the Scottish Government. Attitudes to Minimum Unit Pricing were also included, with these questions being funded by NHS Health Scotland. Questions on attitudes to the European Union (EU), Brexit and Scottish independence were included and funded by the Scottish Centre for Social Research.

Main Topics:

The 2019 questionnaire covered the following topics:attitudes to government, the NHS, the economy and standard of living in Scotlandattitudes to violence against women in Scotlandintra-household distribution of resourcesattitudes to minimum unit pricingattitudes to the EU, Brexit and Scottish Independence

Multi-stage stratified random sample

Face-to-face interview

Self-completion