Only three in ten voters are favourable towards John Swinney with a new poll delivering a damning verdict on the SNP’s performance in government.
Asked about a range of devolved policy areas, the majority of respondents said the SNP is not performing well when it comes to the NHS, the economy, housing, drug deaths, local council funding or social care.
After 17 years of nationalist government, campaign group Scotland in Union said the 2026 Holyrood election is an opportunity to remove the SNP from power.
The Survation poll of 1,021 people aged 16 and over in Scotland, which was conducted in late August, found that only 31% of voters are favourable towards the current First Minister, with 36 per cent unfavourable.
And only 32% said the government is performing well when it comes to the NHS, with similar negative verdicts for the economy (29%), housing (28%), and rural issues (29%).
The area where the SNP has the most favourable record is in education, but even then the figure is only 38%, while it slumps to 23% for ferries and 20% for drug deaths.
The poll, which marks the tenth anniversary of the independence referendum, found that voters in Scotland would still overwhelmingly vote to remain part of the UK.
Alastair Cameron, founder and chair of Scotland in Union, said:
“After 17 years of government, with all the powers of devolution at its disposal, this is a damning verdict on the SNP.
“This is the consequence of the nationalists’ obsession with the constitution and division, when they should be focused on what really matters to the people of Scotland.
“There must be no more public money spent on the SNP’s negative campaign to leave the UK, and John Swinney must fully devote his time to fixing the mess his party has made of the NHS, the economy, and public services.
“At the next election, the people of Scotland will have the opportunity to move on from the failing SNP, by electing politicians who prioritise people’s real priorities.”
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