Poll shows support for the region’s town centre businesses as Scotland Loves Local campaign highlights the power of every pound spent in communities

Half of the shoppers in West Scotland always put supporting their local high street first, a new study has found.

And there is growing recognition of the fact that people need to get behind their town centres if businesses in them are to survive the consequences of Covid-19 and thrive beyond the pandemic.

People living in the Scottish Parliament regional list constituency were surveyed as part of a poll commissioned by Scotland’s Towns Partnership for the Scotland Loves Local campaign.

In West Scotland, it found that:

• 51% of people will always shop on their local high street rather than going further afield, whenever they can do so.
• 94% of those surveyed believe there is a strong chance that many businesses on the local high street will go bust if people don’t support them.
• 88% say it’s vital that people in their community support businesses on their local high streets.

Across Scotland, 56% of the 1,056 people questioned in the survey said they always prioritised using their local high street.

The results have been welcomed as a signal of the strong support for the region’s town centres – highlighting the importance of people thinking local first and using businesses in their community.

Phil Prentice, Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, said:

“The positive power of people across the region supporting their high street should not be underestimated. Every pound spent locally flips six times in the area’s economy, so the knock-on effect is significant. Thinking local first protects jobs, helps the environment and helps make our communities better places to live.

“Our polling highlights how the community pride and the spirit of localism we’ve seen throughout the pandemic have strengthened support for town centres. As we all live more of our lives locally we must embrace this to ensure that stronger, more sustainable town centres are the beating heart of the future in West Scotland.”

Scotland Loves Local, a major multimedia campaign spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership with the support of the Scottish Government is the national drive for people to support their local economies and fuel the nation’s financial fightback from Covid-19 from its grassroots.

Scotland’s Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said:

“There has never been a more important time to consider supporting local businesses whether by visiting your local town centre or sampling what local digital businesses have to offer.

“It is great news that the majority of Scots are keen to do just that and we know money spent locally is more likely to stay in the local economy.

“That’s at the core of the Scotland Loves Local campaign, which is run by Scotland’s Towns Partnership with the full support of the Scottish Government.

“We all have a part to play in Scotland’s economic recovery and can do so, whilst we look out for one another and follow the FACTS guidance.”

Scotland Loves Local is supported by influential organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland (FSB).

The polling was carried out by Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research (MDCR), whose Director Mark Diffley said:

“There is clearly a significant amount of goodwill among the public to support local businesses and traders; almost nine in 10 Scots (87%) believe it is vital that communities support their local high streets while over half (56%) say that they will always shop locally when they can, rather than going further afield, suggesting a willingness by many to match that support with action.

“Alongside that goodwill, there is a growing recognition that, without community support, many traders on local high streets may go out of business with 93% agreeing with that assertion. Furthermore, 60% of Scots think that the future of businesses in their area depends on the extent to which local people support them, a sentiment shared by the majority from across all parts of the country and all social groups.

“As uncertainty with Covid-19 continues and the winter approaches, the public recognises the importance of supporting local businesses and stands ready to offer that backing.”

Find out more – https://lovelocal.scot/