SCOTTISH trust in the travel industry and social media networks has plunged lower than the rest of the UK after a year of travel disruption and coronavirus-related scams, according to the annual Consumers in Scotland Report from Which?.

The consumer champion carried out extensive research with more than 1000 people in Scotland during December to uncover and understand the key issues for consumers today.

A third (34%) of Scots told Which? they had lost trust in airlines and holiday operators since last year, significantly more than the UK average (29%). Just 6% of people in Scotland said they trusted the travel industry more since the outbreak.

Overall, this gives a change in trust of -28 points in Scotland, which compares with -21 in the rest of the UK.

Which? research indicates that lost trust in airlines and holiday companies is likely to be linked to travellers’ difficulties in obtaining refunds for cancelled holidays, as levels of trust were higher among consumers who had received swift refunds.

In November last year Which? revealed that across the UK more than £8 billion worth of package holidays is estimated to have been cancelled since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, with just over £1bn still estimated to be outstanding in refunds.

The report also revealed a sharp loss of Scottish trust in social media since the start of the crisis.

A third (32%) of people in Scotland said they had lost trust social media networks since the start of the pandemic, while just 4% said they trusted platforms more. This loss of trust may be related to people’s concerns about the misuse of their personal data and how safe they feel using social media.

Two-thirds (68%) of Scottish consumers are concerned about the security of the data they share online and more than half (56%) are worried about scammers.

Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said: “These latest figures are a damning indictment of the behaviour of many airlines and holiday companies since the start of pandemic.

“The lower levels of trust among Scottish consumers across many industries compared to the rest of the UK highlights the important role for Consumer Scotland.

“It is important that this new consumer body sets out its priorities quickly.”