SCOTS are more worried about the impact of Brexit than their English counterparts, a new report has said.
The Consumers in Scotland 2021 report by Which? analysed responses from people across the UK for their views on the issues that affect their finances.
Around two thirds of Scottish respondents said they were very or a little worried about Brexit, with the number lower when the same question was posed to English respondents.
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The survey also discovered that just 11% of Scots thought the UK economy would get better over the next year - compared to a staggering 76% who thought it would get worse.
The SNP said the results are “not surprising” as Scotland didn’t vote for Brexit, and estimated that Scotland’s GDP is set to be £9 billion lower by 2030.
Scottish consumers were also more concerned with food safety standards, an issue which has been linked to Brexit trade deals with countries like Australia.
On Brexit, the report said that the long-term effects are the biggest non-Covid worry of Scottish consumers - with the level of concern significantly higher than the average for the rest of the UK.
Saltire and EU flag outside of the Scottish parliament
It said: “75% of Scottish consumers said they were very or a little worried about Brexit compared to just 59% in England.
“A higher proportion of Scottish consumers were also worried about food safety standards, an issue that has been linked to Brexit trade deals.”
Maintaining health and safety standards for food and other goods was ranked as the top priority for Scottish consumers with more than half (53%) ranking this as their top priority.
The report also said that Scotland and Northern Ireland respondents were more likely to be “pessimistic” about the UK economy.
It read: “Just 11% of Scots said they thought the UK economy would get better over the next year, and 76% thought it would get worse, giving a net confidence level of -65.
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“This compares to -47 in England, -54 in Wales and -63 in Northern Ireland.”
The SNP’s Europe spokesperson, Dr Philippa Whitford MP (pictured below), said: "The findings of this report are not surprising given Scotland didn't vote for Brexit - yet we were dragged out of the EU anyway - and we know that Scotland is disproportionately impacted by Brexit.
"Scotland's GDP is set to be £9 billion lower by 2030 as a result of the Tories' extreme Brexit and everyone that lives here faces a cost of around £1,200.
“Already, the average cost of Brexit per person has been around £480, with at least a further £720 to go - and all whilst we struggle through a Tory-made cost of living crisis.
"Brexit has hit Scotland's businesses severely, damaged our farming, and sold-out our fishing communities. Indeed, just last week a UK minister was unable to name one single benefit of Brexit when my colleague Dave Doogan asked her.
"Scotland is not safe under Westminster control - the only way to keep Scotland safe from the long-term damage of Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit deal is to become an independent country.”
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