Scottish politics have seen a whirlwind of activity over the last few days, culminating in the resignation of First Minister Humza Yousaf and an upcoming leadership contest. At Diffley Partnership, we follow such events with keen interest, curious about their impact on policy and the lives of Scots. Mark has been out and about commenting across the media, including for BBC, Sky, ITV and Bauer Media as we await news about any SNP leadership contest.
Next month, our Understanding Scotland: Economy series, published in partnership with the David Hume Institute, will report on the most important facets of our lives and decision-making in Scotland. We will be focussed on how the public mood may changed since February.
However, politics and economics are not our sole interests. Below, we highlight the breadth of our services with three recent publications for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Public Health Scotland, and Tandem Bank. Read on below for more information about our polling and desk-based review on the relationship between childcare and income in Scotland, analysis of interviews with those with lived experience of eating disorders on their experience eating out of home, and an index mapping the gap between climate intentions and actions.
Behind the scenes, our team is gearing up for the launch of the Understanding Scotland: Economy Tracker on May 28. We’re also pleased to welcome Shannon Connolly to our team (who has joined us as a Research Assistant) and to announce that I have been promoted to the role of Senior Researcher and that Mhairi McFarlane has been promoted to the role of Research Manager. Every day truly brings something new at the Diffley Partnership and I look forward to seeing what more we will accomplish in my new role.
Optimistic about more blue skies (and bank holidays!) in May,
Haley
Literature review
We conducted a literature review and poll of parents of children under five years in Scotland on childcare. This research has gone towards a new report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Poverty Proofing the Future of Early Years Childcare.
They conclude that:
• A new early years childcare offer for one and two year olds is needed.
• Low-income families should be prioritised for any expansion in the first instance.
• This will require exploration of how to best focus public funding on low-income families.
• This would enable parents to find secure work and more hours, and this should be supported by complementary labour market, economic development and employability strategy with a particular focus on women.
Public health
Earlier this month Public Health Scotland published a study we conducted which explored the perspectives of people with lived experience of eating disorders when eating out of home.
The study explored the experience of eating out of home and the impact of proposals to introduce calorie labelling at the point of service on those who have experienced eating disorders.
Green living
We have been working with Tandem Bank on the Green Change tracker.
Based on our annual Green Gap report, we collate data charting UK consumers’ intentions to ‘go green’ over the following 12 months, and then provide a monthly update on the underlying drivers of the Green Change Tracker using the latest government data points to see real life changes in place.
The March edition can be viewed here. Keep your eyes peeled for the April edition which is coming soon!
Previous editions
You can read our recent editions here: