The UK Judicial Attitude Survey (JAS) is a longitudinal survey conducted with all serving judges in the UK. Undertaken by University College London’s Judicial Institute, it is the only known survey of its kind in the world.

It assesses the attitudes, experiences and intentions of serving judges in key areas including the experience of being a judge, morale, working conditions, wellbeing, remuneration, retention, leadership, training and personal development.

The 2024 survey found that a majority (55 per cent) of judges in Scotland believed the judiciary were respected less by society than they were two years ago, and 81 per cent of judges in Scotland are concerned about the loss of respect for the judiciary by both the UK and Scottish governments.

Their judicial colleagues, court staff, the legal profession and parties in cases before judges are the groups Scottish judges feel most valued by. A majority also feel valued by the public and senior judicial leadership. However, the media, the UK government and the Scottish government are the groups very few salaried judges feel valued by.

The majority of judges in Scotland are also stressed and, in significant proportions, severely so. The most prevalent symptoms were sleep disturbances (67 per cent), irritability (60 per cent) and headaches (42 per cent).

Over two-thirds of sheriffs principal (67 per cent) and a third of senators in the Outer House (33 per cent) reported extreme levels of stress.

Between 2014 and 2024, a majority of Scottish judges said their pay and pension does not adequately reflect the work they have done and will do before retirement and they have had a loss of net earnings in the previous two years. While a majority of senators said they are paid a reasonable salary for the work they do, only 17 per cent of sheriffs principals and 40 per cent of sheriffs agreed.

As for respect in the judicial workplace, most salaried judges in Scotland feel there is a good working environment at their court or tribunal.

But 41 per cent of summary sheriffs, 38 per cent of senators in the Outer House and 34 per cent of sheriffs said they have felt left out or excluded in their role as a judge in the last year – primarily by not being included in communications, not listened to in meetings or undermined in front of colleagues/staff.

After a decade of surveying salaried judges in all three of the UK’s jurisdictions, a number of UK-wide trends have emerged on remuneration and retention.

A majority of salaried judges in all three jurisdictions have, for a decade, repeatedly experienced a loss of net earnings at intervals of two years.

Finally, throughout the decade, a majority of judges have said that their pay and pension entitlement does not adequately reflect the work they have done and will do before they retire.

Over the decade only a minority of judges in all three jurisdictions have ever agreed that they are paid a reasonable salary for the work they do.