A NEW poll on how well leaders and governments have handled the coronavirus crisis has found 82% of Scots think Nicola Sturgeon has done a good job.
The Ipsos MORI study of more than 1000 Scots showed support for the First Minister and Scottish Government’s response to the pandemic, while revealing a whopping 55% of Scots think Boris Johnson has done “badly” in his approach to the crisis.
The research found 78% of Scots felt the Scottish Government had done well, and just 34% of people felt the UK Government had done well.
READ MORE: Dominic Cummings row puts PM's approval rating in negative figures
England and Scotland have taken distinct approaches to relaxing lockdown measures, with Johnson easing some restrictions two weeks ago but Sturgeon holding off until the end of this week.
Johnson also plans for children to go back to school on June 1 – next week – while the SNP leader does not expect pupils to return to classrooms until August.
NEW Scotland really is another country in its views of its leader and CV19 handling @NicolaSturgeon does miles better than @BorisJohnson pic.twitter.com/VfQ2v17pUq
— Ben Page, Ipsos MORI (@benatipsosmori) May 26, 2020
The poll was carried out between May 14-20, so does not account for the recent row around adviser Dominic Cummings’s 250-mile lockdown trip to Durham while sick with suspected Covid-19.
A separate Savanta ComRes poll, which does cover that period, found Johnson and the UK Governments’ approval rating has plummeted as a result of the story.
The data tracker found in four days Johnson’s approval rating dropped from 19% to -1% while the UK Government’s approval rating fell 16 points in one day to -2%.
ITV's Paul Brand said: "Always wary of taking too much from a poll, but this fall is dramatic enough to suggest the story has certainly been damaging for the government."
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