What do staff in the Scottish Government think about Natural Capital? Comparing a snapshot of views in 2023 and 2025

In late 2023 we surveyed 50 staff in Scottish Government to understand their familiarity with Natural Capital (NC), and understand if and how it was being related to their work. Two years later we repeated the same survey, this time receiving 48 responses. This briefing summarises key findings, with a focus on what has or has not changed over the two years, and on discussing implications for future work to connect NC with policy development. Key messages:
• NC is a familiar idea to staff who work in a variety of policy areas, not just those working on topics directly associated with nature and the environment. However, few report much confidence or experience in connecting NC with their work
• Overall there is a very similar pattern of responses in 2023 and 2025; however, in 2025 there are signs of more familiarity with Scotland’s Natural Capital Asset Index.
• Many respondents across all policy roles see a need to further embed sustainability issues in policy development. To do so, there is interest in both new and existing NC tools and data, but also other complementary approaches such as capacity-building or leadership.