As Humza Yousaf marks his first year in office today, a new poll showed that a majority of Scots believe the country is going in the wrong direction.

The survey from Ipsos Scotland also revealed that Nicola Sturgeon still has higher approval ratings than her successor, despite her arrest as part of the police probe into the SNP's finances.

The Glasgow Pollok MSP will mark the anniversary of being sworn in at the Court of Session as Scotland’s sixth First Minister and Keeper of the Scottish Seal, by campaigning in Cumbernauld with MP Stuart McDonald.

He has a majority of 12,976, one of the biggest in Scotland, but Labour believes they could have a chance of unseating him at the next general election.

READ MORE: SNP mull replacements as Humza Yousaf marks his first year in office

Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Yousaf said being Scotland’s First Minister was “a privilege, and also an opportunity to make a positive difference for all who live here.”

He added: “Over the last year, I have been focussed on leading a party and government for all of Scotland - working for everyone, in communities across the country.

“In my first budget, I didn’t prioritise tax cuts for higher earners like the Tories did at Westminster – I chose instead to prioritise investment in our NHS, education and other public services.

“And under my leadership, we’ve worked with councils to deliver a fully-funded council tax freeze next year – keeping money in families pockets when they need it in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

“We’ve also increased investment in the game-changing Scottish Child Payment, a benefit which is helping support low-income families that’s only available in Scotland.”

Mr Yousaf added: “We all want Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up, and the upcoming election is an opportunity for voters to protect Scotland’s values in the face of further Westminster cuts by voting SNP.

“The SNP is the only party that will always stand up for Scotland at Westminster.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Mr Yousaf was “a nice guy who’s just not up to the job.”

He added: “It’s been a year of Humza Yousaf, but it’s been 17 years of SNP failure.

“I think if you look at every area of public policy, it is weaker after 17 years of the SNP and weaker still after one year of Humza Yousaf.”

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon still has higher approval ratings than Humza Yousaf

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross was equally critical, saying: “Humza Yousaf’s first year as SNP leader has been nothing short of a disaster for him, his party and – most importantly – the people of Scotland.

“It’s a tale of independence obsession, abject failures and broken promises, of a First Minister out of his depth and unable to control his feuding, scandal-ridden party.”

According to the Ipsos Scotland survey, Approval ratings have fallen for the party compared to a year ago, down from a net favourability rating of -1 in March 2023 to -10 one year later.

While 34% of the public have a favourable opinion of the SNP, 44% are unfavourable.

The Tories and Rishi Sunak are much more unpopular, with a net rating of -48, down from -42 in March last year.

While Labour has a better overall net rating among the public than the SNP, more of the public are “neutral” towards Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

Scottish Labour’s net rating of -3 is broadly similar to a year ago when it was at -4.

When asked if Scotland was heading in the right or wrong direction, 52% said that generally speaking things in Scotland are heading in the wrong direction, while just over a fifth, 21%, feel they are heading in the right direction.

Another 20% said neither and 8% were unsure.

Mr Yousaf has a net negative rating of -15 from the Scottish public, with 29% holding a favourable view of him compared to 45% who have an unfavourable view of him.

That is slightly better than last year when his net rating was -20.

Ms Sturgeon still has a slightly higher net rating, sitting on -12, with 35% holding a favourable view of her compared to 47% who are unfavourable.

That is significantly down from March 2023, when she left office with an overall net positive rating of +8.