Research shows nearly two-thirds of people feel Assembly has made no difference to their living standards
TWENTY years after Wales backed the creation of an Assembly by just 6,721 votes, new research shows many people are unimpressed by the change devolution has brought to their lives.
Nearly two-thirds of people (65%) felt it had made no difference to their living standards. Fewer than a fifth (19%) said there had been improvements.
The findings from Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre also found that only 18% of people believed devolution had improved education standards. Six out of 10 people said it had made no difference while 22% felt standards had declined.
There was a similarly grim assessment of how devolution had affected the NHS.
Half (50%) of respondents felt there had been no noticeable difference to the health service while almost a third (32%) blamed devolution for a decline in standards.
As with education, only 18% thought there had been a positive impact.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm, there is little support for turning the clock back on devolution.
If the referendum on establishing the Assembly was held tomorrow, only 27% would vote against establishing it.
Nearly half (47%) would support its creation, while 18% did not know how they would vote and 8% would not take part in the referendum.
Only 30% of people said the UK Government should be mainly responsible for decisions to do with education, and just 33% wanted Westminster to be in control of the NHS.
Income tax powers have been transferred to the Welsh Government but 55% of respondents said this should be mainly the responsibility for the London-based Parliament and Government.
People were split on criminal justice and policing, with 42% wanting AMs in the driving seat and 43%
backing MPs keeping responsibility.
When asked about the National Assembly:
17% of people said there should be no devolved government in Wales;
4% thought it should have fewer powers;
28% said we should leave things as they are; 28% wanted more powers; 6% wanted independence; and 16% didn’t know what option they wanted.
The researchers found a “surprisingly strong correlation between how much devolution people want and how much they believe has actually been delivered”.
Professor Roger Scully said: “This latest data strongly confirms the picture established in previous research – that devolution is the settled will of the Welsh people.
“But what we have been able to reveal is that we appear to have reached this point despite people being markedly unimpressed with the actual policy achievements of the last 20 years of devolved government,” he continued.
“But then many people also think that the performance of government in London is poor.
“The difference is that politicians in Cardiff Bay are, at least, more trusted to care about and be focused on the problems of Wales – even if people don’t think that much of their efforts to solve those problems.”
People were also asked their views on Brexit, and there was significant readiness among those questrioned to accept a “hard” exit from the European Union.
By far the biggest group, 41%, wanted the United Kingdom to regain “full control over how Britain is governed and who can live here, even if that means not having a free trade relationship with the EU”.
In contrast, just 13% favoured “getting the best possible trading links with the remaining EU countries once we leave, even if that means still following some EU rules and giving up some control of our borders”.
Only 11% backed “trying to remain as close to the EU as possible and seeking some form of associate membership”.
Just over a fifth (21%) supported “trying to get Britain to remain in the EU after all” while 13% were not sure.
When asked how they would vote if there was another EU referendum tomorrow, 46% would vote to remain (up four percentage points on May); 42% would vote to leave (a fall of three points), while 4% would not vote 8% don’t know what they would do.