A YEAR after leading the SNP to a historic election victory, Alex Salmond is still enjoying a strong personal standing among Scots, according to an exclusive poll for Scotland on Sunday.
The poll was commissioned to mark the first anniversary of t
he Holyrood elections, and provides a unique insight into what Scotland thinks of Salmond.
Salmond's aides will find much in this poll to encourage them. The SNP leader's critics often characterise him as smug and self-satisfied. Yet only 32% of Scots would describe him as arrogant; 34% as patronising; and 24% as conceited.
Salmond is even making progress on the trust front. Asked by Scottish Opinion last week if they would trust the First Minister with their wallet, three out of 10 Scots said they would be happy to do so.
The 'wallet' question is a useful test of a politician's standing – and while three out of 10 might seem like a low score it is the best Salmond has ever achieved.
In May 1999, during the first Holyrood election, only 27% of Scots said they would trust Salmond with their wallet. In September 2006, that figure had fallen to 18%. Today's poll result is therefore a marked improvement.
But he has a long way to go before he can match the standing of Donald Dewar. In May 1999, 54% of Scots said they would trust the former Scottish Labour leader with their wallet.
Elsewhere in today's poll, there are findings that will cause concern for Salmond and his advisers. Only 43% of voters describe him as 'honest' and only 31% believe he has 'the best ideas for improving people's lives'.
The poll suggests the Scottish public remains to be convinced about the what the SNP administration can actually achieve.
Aspects of the poll will also come as a surprise to SNP strategists, because they contradict some common assumptions about where their support is at its strongest.
The party has traditionally enjoyed its highest popularity among the young, and has also won the backing of less well-off Scots.
No longer, it seems. The biggest Salmond sceptics are those in the 18-24 age group. Less than half think he 'stands up for Scotland' and only 17% believe he has 'the best ideas for improving people's lives'. Only 8% of them would trust him to look after their wallet.
Our poll also reveals the strongest enthusiasm for Salmond comes from high-income ABC1 socioeconomic groups. Poorer Scots have a significantly lower opinion of him.
One possible explanation is that having finally achieved power, the Nationalists are seen in a different light.
The SNP used to be regarded as political rebels standing up to the establishment – a stance that was attractive to the idealistic young and those at the bottom of the economic heap. But these days the Nationalists are the ones in the ministerial limos – the new establishment.
Last night political analysts and image consultants said the results of the survey were, on the whole, favourable for Salmond. Leading publicity and image expert Max Clifford, said: "Overall, this is a very impressive poll for Alex Salmond. Any politician getting more than 40% of people describing him as honest is pretty good going. The issue about the wallet is interesting, because the wallet is so important to people and it touches on the issue of trust.
"This poll suggests to me that people know Alex Salmond the politician but don't feel that they know Alex Salmond the man. I advise appearances on daytime TV shows, for example, so that people can learn more about him as a person."
John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said: "This is a good poll for Alex Salmond and shows that people approve of him. In my view, the questions about the wallet and whether he has the best ideas for Scotland show that while people think he may be doing well as First Minister, they are not yet confident about following him and the SNP to their eventual goal."
• Scottish Opinion contacted 757 Scottish adults by telephone between April 21-25. The representative sample was taken from all Scottish parliamentary constituencies.
