Satisfaction with public services
Trends and Analysis
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of people satisfied with public services in Shetland | 59% | 55% | 47% | 56% | 58% | 52% | 53% |
| Percentage of people satisfied with public services in Scotland | 56% | 52% | 52% | 53% | 55% | 40% | 43% |
The graph and table show that satisfaction with public services over time has fluctuated. In 2016 in Shetland, 59% of people were satisfied with public services. This dropped to as low as 47% in 2018 and was at 53% in 2023.
Due to a smaller sample size in 2020, the data was not able to be broken down and published at local authority level.
Apart from 2018, Shetland has maintained a higher percentage of satisfaction with public services than Scotland overall. 43% of people in Scotland were satisfied with public services in 2023 compared to Shetland’s 53%. Shetland had the joint sixth highest level of satisfaction of public services in Scotland alongside East Renfrewshire.
Following the 2024 Questionnaire Review, the combined public services satisfaction measure was discontinued as it was assessed as not meaningful in understanding the story of the individual measures. In addition, satisfaction with local health services, one of the contributing measures, is no longer collected by the Scottish Household Survey as it duplicates data collected through the Health and Care Experience Survey. Consequently, 2023 is the latest available year for this indicator.
Looking at each public service individually, satisfaction with the quality of local health services was 84%, compared to Scotland’s 67%. 82% of people in Shetland were satisfied with the quality of local schools (lower than the 91% reported in 2019), compared to 69% in Scotland. Satisfaction with the quality of public transport in Shetland has increased to above the Scottish average with 68%, in contrast to 64% of people in Scotland.
Public service providers regularly gather feedback from service users and communities to better understand people's experiences of local services. Feedback gathered through engagement, consultation and customer feedback activities helps inform service development and improvement.
The Shetland Partnership's Get Involved section provides information on current consultations, engagement opportunities and resources to support community participation.
Last updated: October 2026