Anvar Sarygulov and Phoebe Arslanagić-Wakefield

April 2020

As part of the new devolution settlement, the Scottish Parliament and Government received extensive devolved powers over social security, and they have already made changes to benefits for carers, low-income families, children and those with disabilities. However, there has been little examination of Scottish public attitudes on how social security is being and should be reformed in Scotland.

This report addresses the gap by examining the attitudes of the Scottish public towards the current purpose, role and effectiveness of the social security system, and their views on promised and possible policies for social security reform. It also considers how these views of the Scottish public vary across different socio-demographic and voting characteristics.