New Scottish Social Attitudes Survey Finds Rising Acceptance of Prejudice Towards Some Groups

New Scottish Social Attitudes Survey Finds Rising Acceptance of Prejudice Towards Some Groups

The following piece was shared by Scottish Social Attitudes covering discrimination and positive action.

Rising acceptance of prejudice towards some groups in Scotland over the past decade

New findings from the Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey, published by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen), shows that discriminatory attitudes towards some groups have increased since 2015, while continuing to decline towards others.

Around one in three people (31%) now say there can be “good reason” to be prejudiced against certain groups, up from 22% in 2015. While a clear majority (65%) continue to believe Scotland should do everything it can to eliminate prejudice, this represents a slight decline from 69% a decade ago.

The findings highlight that attitudes are not shifting in a single direction. While discrimination has increased towards certain groups, it has improved in relation to others, often depending on the group and the context in question.

Some groups face higher risk of discrimination 

The survey finds that four groups in Scotland stand out as being at particular risk of discrimination in 2025:

• Trans people
• Gypsy/Travellers
• People with severe and enduring mental illness
• Older people

At the same time, direct discrimination has declined since 2010 for some groups, including Muslims, Jewish people, people who experience depression, and gay, lesbian and bisexual people. 

Public attitudes to immigration remain balanced but cautious

• Around 39% agree that people coming from outside Britain make Scotland a better place, while 17% disagree and a further 43% are neutral
• 45% believe immigration should be reduced, compared with 17% who think it should increase

Overall, migrants are seen as having a slightly positive impact on both the economy and cultural life.

Continued debate on equality and fairness 

Most people believe current efforts to promote equality are “about right”, but there has been a notable increase in the proportion who think these efforts have “gone too far” compared with 2015, particularly in relation to Black and Asian people and lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

Yet many still feel progress is incomplete:

• 40% say equality for women has not gone far enough
• Around a third say the same for Black and Asian people and gay, lesbian and bi-sexual people

There remains strong and consistent support for practical fairness measures, including:

• 66% supporting extra training opportunities for women
• 59% supporting this for Black and Asian people
• 90% agreeing that women returning from maternity leave deserve equal promotion opportunities

Lucy Dean, Senior Researcher, ScotCen “The latest Scottish Social Attitudes data shows that Scotland remains a country where most people support equality and reject prejudice. However, our findings suggest that progress is not always linear. While attitudes towards some groups have improved, others continue to face significant discrimination, and in some cases prejudicial views have become more acceptable than they were a decade ago. Understanding these nuances underlines the value of Scottish Social Attitudes as a long-running timeseries. By tracking attitudes over time, we can better understand the levels of support for positive action and where barriers remain.”