Scottish Social Attitudes: Public Attitudes to Alcohol and Tobacco Use and Weight
Event
25 years of Scottish Social Attitudes
This year, the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) will publish the findings from 25 years of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey.
Register for the in-person event
This year, the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) will publish the findings from 25 years of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey. Conducted annually since 1999, the survey provides a unique and independent record of changing social, political and moral attitudes in Scotland.
Marking a quarter century of devolution, this year’s report highlights the key trends in public opinion since the creation of the Scottish Parliament. It explores how attitudes towards governance have shifted, whether Scotland is more left-wing than England, and how far devolution has influenced Scottish and British identity.
The event will be led by Sir John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, and long-time Co-Director of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey, who will provide expert analysis of the findings.
With the 2026 Holyrood Elections approaching, this research offers timely insights for analysts, journalists and opinion formers seeking to understand what changing public attitudes mean for Scotland’s political future.
Join us to hear the latest insights from 25 years of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey.
Speakers
-
Sir John CurticeSenior Research Fellow National Centre for Social Research
Sir John Curtice is Senior Research Fellow at NatCen, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, and Chief Commentator on the What UK Thinks: EU and What Scotland Thinks websites.
He has been a regular contributor to the annual British Social Attitudes report since 1986 and an editor since 1994. He has also been a Co-Director of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey since its foundation in 1999, and his analyses of Scottish public opinion in the run up to the independence referendum were frequently featured throughout the campaigns.
In 2018, he received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. Sir John is a regular media commentator on both British and Scottish politics.
-
Ailsa HendersonProfessor of Political Science University of EdinburghAilsa Henderson is Professor of Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. Originally from Windsor, Ontario, she has degrees from the Université d’Ottawa (BScSoc) and the University of Edinburgh (MSc, PhD) and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto. She was an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto before returning to the University of Edinburgh in 2007. From 2006-2007 she was the Working Groups Chair for the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform and is currently a member of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Professor Henderson researches comparative political behaviour and political culture in sub-state regions as well as civic engagement. She has published four books and over 30 articles and book chapters, including Hierarchies of Belonging: National Identity and Political Culture in Scotland and Quebec (McGill-Queen’s University Press 2007) and Citizenship After the Nation State: Regionalism, Nationalism and Public Attitudes in Europe (Palgrave 2013).
