Most voters support Scottish and Welsh R&D investment regardless of voting intention

30 Mar 2026

Campaigning on R&D presents Holyrood and Senedd candidates with an opportunity to harness broad public support for local action on R&D.

Around three-quarters think it is important for their devolved government to invest in R&D in their nation (77% in Scotland and 72% in Wales), with majority support among all voter groups.

New public attitudes research from Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) has shed light on what over-16s in Scotland and Wales think and feel about research and development (R&D) ahead of the May elections.

CaSE Public Attitudes to R&D in Scotland and Wales 2026 takes in the views of more than 2,700 adults (16+) in Scotland and 1,600 in Wales through nationally representative polling, offering insights at an unprecedented depth in the two nations.

The research found that a majority in each nation would support their elected representatives to campaign for R&D at a local or national level in a range of ways, after the May 2026 Senedd and Holyrood elections, with levels of outright opposition typically low.

New constituency-level analysis carried out for CaSE offers detailed insights into support for these actions and provides evidence for advocates and representatives to engage with constituents.

Beyond attitudes to political action on R&D, the research found that – despite strong support for R&D in general terms – more than four in ten in Scotland (48%) and in Wales (43%) don’t feel a personal connection with R&D. Moreover, many remain uncertain about R&D’s benefits and the work that R&D organisations do. However, around half (54% in Scotland; 53% in Wales) want to hear about R&D in the run up to the May 2026 Senedd and Holyrood elections.

Those advocating for R&D must do more to demonstrate how R&D can be a source of local pride, optimism and hope for the nations’ future and demonstrate it is a tool for tackling the problems that people care about.

CaSE, with the support of our project sponsors, is encouraging candidates in Scotland and Wales to do exactly that through an email campaign launching this week. Using the results of our constituency-level analysis and a new Guide for R&D on the Doorstep in each nation, we are sharing bespoke insights with all candidates, urging them to start conversations with their constituents and engage with local R&D organisations.

All CaSE’s public opinion research is supported by a consortium of research agencies. This study’s questionnaire design and reporting was led by a team from Icaro, and quantitative fieldwork and MRP analysis delivered by YouGov.

CaSE Public Attitudes to R&D in Scotland and Wales 2026

Read the full report

Commenting on the research:

“The funding and governance of research and development (R&D) are an important part of the devolved powers held by the Scottish and Welsh governments. R&D is fundamental to our society and economy, and it is right that we look to understand what the public think and feel about it.

“These results are at an unprecedented depth, which offers R&D advocates the opportunity to use granular insights to support their work in Scotland and Wales. This work also marks a major step forward in CaSE’s own advocacy in Scotland and Wales.”

“We know the political landscape in these nations, and across the wider UK, is shifting. These elections will be a litmus test for what the future holds for R&D, and how the sector responds will be vital.”

Dr Alicia Greated

Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE)

“This exciting research tells us that people in Scotland and Wales want to see their elected representatives actively supporting R&D both locally and nationally. Being a champion for R&D appears to present little political risk, with strong support for devolved governments to invest in R&D, regardless of which party people intend to vote for. However, there also remain large parts of society who feel disconnected or uncertain about R&D or its benefits.

“Advocates should not be afraid to speak up for the benefits of R&D in Scotland and Wales and should encourage and equip candidates and elected representatives to do the same. The insights CaSE is providing here can be a tool for all R&D advocates to use.”

Project lead, Dr Florence Young

Senior Public Opinion and Policy Officer, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE)

Some stand out findings from across the research:

People in Scotland and Wales want to see their elected representatives actively supporting R&D both locally and nationally:
- Around three quarters of people in each of Scotland and Wales support their MSP or MS, respectively, campaigning for more R&D to improve NHS experiences, diagnosis and treatment (75% in Scotland; 74% in Wales).
- Almost two in three support them championing Scottish or Welsh universities (65% in Scotland; 62% in Wales).
- Over half support their MSP or MS campaigning for more R&D jobs, and support for R&D businesses and more inward investment (54% in Scotland; 53% in Wales).
- Outright opposition among the public to their MSP or MS doing any of the actions tested is typically low (2-6%), rising only in one instance – for campaigning for more R&D funding in the defence industry (to 13% in Scotland, and 12% in Wales).

There is strong appetite in both Scotland and Wales to know more about R&D, with more than half saying they would be interested in hearing about R&D in the run up to the May 2026 Holyrood and Senedd elections (54% in Scotland; 53% in Wales).

Half of people in Scotland (55%) and Wales (50%) said the amount their devolved Government invests in R&D should either be increased or maintained.

Support is broad, but shallow – just over one in three people said that R&D was relevant to their life (38% in Scotland; 35% in Wales). Far fewer (15% in Scotland; 16% in Wales) said they feel connected with R&D.

Only around one in 10 (11% in Scotland; 9% in Wales) said they can immediately think of lots of ways that their nation benefits from R&D, falling even further when asked about benefits to their local area (7% in Scotland; 6% in Wales) or them and their family (7% in Scotland; 5% in Wales).

The visibility of the R&D sector in Scotland and Wales is very low – substantial majorities say they don’t know much or anything about the R&D being undertaken in their nation (87% in Scotland and 91% in Wales).

The public see R&D as an asset to their communities – around half would support a new R&D laboratory being built in their area (53% in Scotland; 49% in Wales) and a majority (66% in Scotland; 60% in Wales) would feel proud if their area were to become well known as an important hub for R&D in Wales or Scotland.

We are grateful for our sponsors who have made this project possible:

British Heart Foundation (BHF)

Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

Cardiff University/ Prifysgol Caerdydd

Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult

The University of Edinburgh

UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)

University of Glasgow

University of Strathclyde

Notes

About this research

Methods

The research adopted a quantitative approach, involving a large-scale survey of 2,707 adults 16+ in Scotland between 16^th-27^th January 2026 and 1,626 adults 16+ in Wales and took place between 20th-28th January 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in Scotland/ Wales (aged 16+).
In addition, a Multi-Level Regression with Poststratification (MRP) analysis was carried out on six questions, to model the expected attitudes at a constituency level. Results are projected across 73 Holyrood constituencies across 16 Senedd constituencies with each multilevel model estimated by the PSA supercomputer cluster using 4000 iterations across 6 Monte-Carlo Markov chains. A key advantage of using MRP over conventional polling methods is its ability to use data collected at a ‘higher’ level of geography and fit statistical models to estimate how that breaks down in smaller, specific areas. This gives a far more robust way of understanding how opinions change over space than using large geographic cross-breaks or overinterpretation of small sample sizes in given places.
The report uses ‘voting intention’ to describe how respondents said they would vote at the May 2026 Senedd and Holyrood elections. The exception is for the Green Party in Wales, where the sample size was too small, and those who voted Green at the 2024 was used as a proxy. This is noted at the relevant points in the report text.
All CaSE’s public opinion research is supported by a consortium of research agencies. This study was led by Icaro, a Market Research Society (MRS) Company Partner. Survey fieldwork was executed by YouGov, who are a member of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.

Survey design

The study looks at awareness of R&D and its benefits, attitudes to R&D investment by devolved governments, and attitudes to universities and research organisations in the nations. It also explores appetite for local action on R&D by elected representatives, with constituency-level insights into a group of these questions. The themes, topics and questions were informed by CaSE’s existing public opinion research and in-depth engagement R&D advocates across disciplines and sectors in both Scotland and Wales.
During the survey, after respondents’ initial responses to questions covering their general outlook and priorities, along with their awareness of the terms “R&D” and “research and development”, a definition of R&D was provided. This definition has been developed by CaSE to support its public opinion research and is based on the Frascati definition and evidence from across the R&D sector. It can also be found in the report at section “Associations with R&D”.
- Research and Development (R&D) refers to any work that aims to solve a problem or increase what we know. This includes what we know about humankind, culture and society, as well as what we know about the world around us. R&D can lead to new discoveries and ideas, or the invention or improvement of products and services. In short, R&D is often the first step to creating something new.

Funding

This work was funded by our project sponsors and a grant from Wellcome (318810/Z/24/Z).

About CaSE

Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) is the leading independent voice for UK R&D.

We are a charity supported by a diverse membership including businesses, universities, professional bodies, research charities and individuals. Our members span the whole breadth of R&D – including discovery research, science, engineering, and innovation across the public, private, and charitable sectors.

We collaborate with our members, partners and the public to lend our clear, expert voice to decisions about research and development. We specialise in developing non-partisan, responsive solutions that help research and innovation to thrive in ways that improve people’s lives and livelihoods.

CaSE’s public opinion programme aims to generate insights and data-informed advocacy tools that can support a behaviour change in how our sector advocates for R&D, with the aim of making R&D matter to more people. This programme is supported by a £2.7m grant from Wellcome for 2024-29, building on CaSE’s 2021-24 Discovery Decade programme.