Revealed: Scottish have lowest trust in day-to-day banking services

Levels of trust in day-to-day banking services are lower in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK, according to exclusive Which? research - just 39%, compared to 45% in the UK as a whole.

We also discovered that:

• Everyday essentials, energy, fuel prices, public spending cuts and Brexit are the greatest financial worries for Scots
• Scots are more likely to be worried about Brexit - 65% expressed fear about this, compared with 60% in the UK generally
• More than half believe the economy would get worse.

On a more positive note, Scots are more likely to be satisfied by their standard of living (66% were satisfied) and with their current household finances (47% were satisfied).

Just over a quarter said they believed their household finances would improve within the next year, while two in five felt they would stay the same - a figure on par with the rest of the UK.

Our Which? Money site can help you find the best financial products and u200bmake your money go further.

Bank closures

These statistics follow our findings last month that Scotland's bank branches and cash machines are closing at an alarming rate. Scotland has lostmore than a third of its bank and building society branches in just eight years and more than 200 cashpoints in the past year.

We are concerned that Scottish communities and businesses could face financial exclusion, and are asking for a regulator to be given a statutory duty to protect access to cash as a matter of urgency.

You can check if your local branch is at risk of closing using our unique bank branch closure tool and join our campaign to protect cash as a payment option.

Trust in broadband

The Insight Report also revealed that Scottish people have a below average trust in broadband services, with 39% compared to 45% of people across the UK as a whole.

The Scottish government has pledged to to ensure all of Scotland has access to superfast broadband by 2021. You can check your speed for free now using our broadband checker tool.

New consumer body

The Scottish government is preparing to launch Consumer Scotland, a new body it claims will represent consumers in Scotland.

Caroline Normand, Which? director of advocacy said: 'Scottish consumers are struggling with dwindling day-to-day banking services and poor broadband connections and our research suggests this could be having an impact on trust in these vital industries, and demonstrates the need for a dedicated consumer body backed by the Scottish government.

'If Consumer Scotland is to be a real force for improving the lives of ordinary people, it must take on board the concerns highlighted in this report - and make tackling them a top priority.'

Consumer Insight Report

We engaged Populus to survey 1,075 people in 2018 to understand the spending habits, attitudes and concerns of consumers across the UK.

Find out more about Which?'s annual Scottish Consumer Insight Report.