Future Trends for Scotland: findings from the 2024-2025 horizon scanning project

The “Future Trends for Scotland” report sets out 60 trends that are likely to be important to Scotland over the next 10-to-20 years and includes the project methodology. The supporting Trend Pack articulates the evidence and interview insights that informed each trend in the report.


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168 The fieldwork took place between 9-12 July 2024. YouGov apply weighting to the data to match the population profile to adjust for any over/under representations and to maximise consistency from wave to wave.

169 Approximated Social Grade is a socio-economic classification used by the market research industry. AB refers to people in higher and intermediate managerial/administrative/professional occupations while DE refers to people in semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations; unemployed and lowest grade occupations. See: Approximated social grade variable: Census 2021 – Office for National Statistics

170. Government Office for Science, UK Government (2024) Futures toolkit for policymakers and analysts – GOV.UK (last accessed 20 May 2025).

171. Ibid.

172. The ‘Mental health, wellbeing and loneliness’ cluster was not explored in Workshop Two due to insufficient attendance on the day.

Contact

Email: foresight@gov.scot

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