A Scotland That Cares campaign update

There is strong public support for a new National Outcome on care, as a majority of the public feel care is not currently valued enough.

The ‘A Scotland That Cares’ campaign, which the ALLIANCE supports, have published a range of additional resources and data emphasising the need for a National Outcome on care, including a report, a short animation, and a poll of the public. Others supporting the campaign include over 60 organisations including frontline organisations representing unpaid carers, parents and paid care workers as well as prominent anti-poverty charities and think tanks.

The poll carried out by YouGov on behalf of the campaign shows that one in three adults (30%) in Scotland have caring responsibilities; with respondents saying they are a parent (15%) or look after a child informally (7%), are an unpaid carer for someone who is ill, disabled or elderly (7%), or are employed in a paid caring role (2%).

While caring is widespread, the data shows that nearly three quarters (74%) of adults in Scotland believe care work is not valued highly enough by the Scottish Government. This represents a significant jump since the peak of the pandemic in 2020, when 62% of Scottish adults said they didn’t think care work was valued highly enough. The polling also reveals the majority of people don’t think that the increased attention on the role of carers during the pandemic resulted in any additional practical support for paid carers (57%), unpaid carers (61%) or parents (55%).

Alongside accelerating and deepening action to boost support for all those with caring responsibilities, the Scottish Government must lock-in a commitment to transformative change. The current review of the ‘National Outcomes’ provides Ministers with an opportunity to demonstrate its support for carers. The Scottish Government has 11 existing National Outcomes, including on health, poverty, the environment and education. Progress on each Outcome is measured by a number of indicators, and the Outcomes are intended to drive policy and spending decision-making. 

However, there is no dedicated National Outcome on care, which the A Scotland That Cares campaign collectively view as a serious omission. Polling demonstrates strong public support for a new National Outcome on care, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of adults in Scotland saying they back it. This must be underpinned by robust and cross-cutting National Indicators, to measure progress meaningfully and transparently, including to ensure carers have the practical and financial support they need.

You can find out more about ‘A Scotland That Cares’ on the dedicated campaign website. The campaign is led by a partnership between Oxfam Scotland, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, Carers Scotland, One Parent Families Scotland and Scottish Care. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,012 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th – 10th October 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in Scotland (aged 18+).

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