MORE Scots would rather see Douglas Ross as first minister than Anas Sarwar, in a major blow to the Scottish Labour leader.
The survey, commissioned by the Alba party, asked a representative sample of 1112 Scottish adults: “Who would make the best First Minister?”
Across Scotland as a whole, Humza Yousaf remained ahead with 25.8% of support.
He was then followed by Ross, Sarwar and Alba leader Alex Salmond grouped together at 18.2%, 17.1% and 15.4% respectively.
They were trailed by Scottish Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie at 8.5% and 8% respectively, with Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton lowest at 7%.
READ MORE: Mega poll: SNP seat prediction revealed as Scottish Tories wiped out
The First Minister didn’t top the pack in every Scottish region, however.
The poll found that Salmond (below) is the favoured choice in the North East of Scotland – which Alba chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh hailed as proof that the party are in a “strong position to sweep” the region and do “exceptionally well” in the 2026 Holrood elections as a whole.
“With already more than 15% backing Alex as the best first minister, we could be looking at 20 seats or more in the next Scottish Parliament,” she added.
Ross, meanwhile, led in both Mid Scotland and Fife as well as South Scotland at 26.9% and 25.5% respectively. And Anas Sarwar came out on top in West Scotland with 25%.
When it comes to SNP-identified voters, 22.7% of them believe that Salmond would make the best first minister. Interestingly, 26.2% of Labour identified voters feel as though Yousaf is the best however.
Find Out Now interviewed 1878 Scottish adults from March 18-24 2024, a representative sample of 1112 respondents. The question put was “Who would make the best First Minister” from a list of the leaders of all the parties represented in the Holyrood Parliament.
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