Covid-19: Wales has more confidence in Welsh Gov than England in UK Gov – study

The people of Wales have more confidence in the Welsh Government’s handling of the Covid-19 than people in England have in the UK Government’s handling of the coronavirus, according to a study.

University College London have been tracking people’s overall confidence in their governments since 21 March. Their study shows a growing divergence in confidence in Wales and England.

Although Wales began the study with less confidence than England in their own government, confidence in the Welsh Government has increased in Wales while confidence in the UK Government has fallen in England.

Confidence in the Welsh Government in Wales is now at 4.5 out of 7, up from 2.5 at the start of the study, while in England it has declined from 4 at the start of the study to 3.5 now.

Confidence in the Scottish Government in Scotland is over 5.

 

‘Lowest’

“Levels of confidence in the central government to handle the Covid-19 epidemic remain lower in England than in other nations, with this gap widening further in the past week as levels in Wales remain stable and levels in Scotland show some potential indications of increase,” the study says.

“In England, confidence in government has fallen most notably in younger adults, and is lowest in those under the age of 30, with average scores of 2.6 out of 7.”

Respondents were asked how much confidence they had in the government to handle the Covid-19 epidemic from 1 (not at all) to 7 (lots). People living in devolved nations were asked to report their confidence in their own devolved governments.

The UCL’s panel study of over 90,000 respondents focuses on the psychological and social experiences of adults living in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.