YOUNGER Scots are more likely to trust the Scottish Government than older pensioners, new polling shows.

According to official government research, those aged 16-24 are significantly more likely to have faith in Holyrood leaders than those aged over 75.

As many as 81% of young adults express trust in the Scottish Government, compared with 57% of over-75s.

The overall rate for adults in all age groups was 74%.

That's the findings of the latest Scottish Household Survey, which was carried out via telephone for the first time due to the pandemic. Around 3000 people were questioned.

Levels of trust in councils and the education system were also higher amongst younger people.

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Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison said: "These statistics provide an insight into how people in Scotland lived during the first phase of the pandemic and their interaction with public services.

"The majority of people surveyed were satisfied with their housing and local services including healthcare, and saw their neighbourhood as a good place to live – all of which would have been important during the pandemic while Scotland faced lockdown restrictions."

The last time the nationwide survey was carried out was in 2019, when 10,500 people were included. Statisticians say the huge variation in sample size means they can't directly compare the results.

Three in four younger Scots said they trust local government, compared with six in ten over-75s. For education, the rate is 85% compared with 62%.

Overall, 88% of adults were satisfied with local health services, 78% were happy with schools, 70% approved of public transport and 61% were satisfied with all three services.

Those in large urban areas were happier with public transport than residents of remote rural areas.

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But only 25% of all those interviewed thought they could influence decisions affecting their local area. Around 60% of households said they were managing well financially, but this was less common for those who were renting or where the highest-earning resident had been furloughed.

Robison said: "It is clear that the economic and social impacts of the pandemic disproportionately affected people who were already disadvantaged or who were unable to work during lockdown, and life for many has been more difficult as a result of Covid-19.

"Our Covid Recovery Strategy, published in the autumn, sets out an ambitious vision for our recovery from the pandemic. It is focused on bringing about a fairer future, tackling inequalities made worse by Covid-19, and improving people’s wellbeing and rebuilding public services so they are more focused on people’s needs."