Word on the street: the issues that matter most to you

Michael Gormley, 41, Edinburgh "Education and the environment. Green issues are important to me and are most likely to affect my voting - that and having a good education system for my children, who are just starting school."

Mark Cosgrove, 42, bus driver, Torry, Aberdeen "Honesty is important to me in this election, and we haven't had much of that recently. A bit of honesty instead of hot air is what I want to see."

David Moran, 51, Perth "Independence would be a really bad idea. A lot of jobs depend on the union, and a lot of companies might not support us if we split. We could potentially lose thousands of jobs."

Caroline MacKechnie, 59, post-mistress on the island of Raasay "For me the big issue is education, always. We are still suffering from Margaret Thatcher's blight on this country, and you cannot spend too much on education.

So I will be voting Labour because of their plans for investment in education."

Henry Thomson, 83, Knightswood, Glasgow "Independence. We would have to look after our own NHS. Alex Salmond keeps talking about southern Ireland, but they don't have their own NHS. It would be a disaster for Scotland."

Marion Thomson, 82, Knightswood, Glasgow "I don't want independence and I'm pleased with this government. They have been very good, especially with pensioners, giving us the fuel allowance."

Kathleen Sinclair, 60, Newhills, Aberdeen "I would like to see an outcome that doesn't separate Scotland from the rest of the UK. I believe it is really important that we stay connected."

Kevin Kane, 36, Denny, near Falkirk "The NHS. I've recently had a second hip operation and it's clear the NHS isn't as good as it used to be. I wasn't as well cared for as I was the first time."

Samantha Evans, 35, sales manager, Balmedie "I think the council tax is wrong. You shouldn't get charged on the value of your house, because you pay a big mortgage to have that value of house and it doesn't necessarily mean you have lots of money to pay the council tax."

Jennifer Malone, 20, Cardonald, Glasgow "The NHS. I've recently had a baby and the first hospital I went to was filthy. The second was better, but they should all be the same."

Charlotte Knox, 18, Selkirk "I am just beginning a university course but already I am worried about the level of debt I will have at the end of my three years of studying. I'm struggling to make ends meet. More has to be done to support people going into further education, or it will just lead to a brain drain."

Morag Young, 46, Cumbernauld "Housing. There's not enough affordable housing for young people. It's hard for them to afford a mortgage when they're just starting out."

Agnes Shaw, 57, Pilton, Edinburgh "I have always voted Labour - except with Maggie Thatcher the first time, because she was a woman. They have been good for older people, and I will be retiring soon."

Andrew Laidlaw, 38, Glasgow "The Iraq war.

It's something I feel very strongly about. We just shouldn't be there. I would have voted for the SNP, but I'm not for independence."

Brian Souter, 38, cinema manager, Hardgate, Aberdeen "I haven't been taking as great an interest as I should, but I probably will vote - and I am definitely against independence."

Ian J Corbett, 68, Aberdeen "I want to see independence.

I don't see why we should be governed from outwith our own borders."

Linda Harris, 45, Dunfermline "Health is my number one issue, and public health particularly - things like smoking, obesity and diabetes. The environment and education are important issues to me, too."

Sean Frost, 49, Linlithgow "What I want to know is where they are going to reduce spending, not what they are going to spend money on."

Pat Connelly, 48, Falkirk "The Iraq war. It's time they brought our boys back home. I don't see it getting any better. But I'm also worried about Scotland going it alone. It will cost us much more than they say."

Grace Williamson, 78, New Town, Edinburgh "Apart from the city of Edinburgh, the war in Iraq. I don't think it should have happened, and it's a mess."

Greg Gibson, 21, engineer, Selkirk "The SNP have got a great chance of winning the Holyrood election but I am concerned that will be the first step towards independence. I don't think that would be the right way forward for the country, but once the bandwagon gets rolling it will be hard to stop. If the SNP win this seat, which has always been Liberal Democrat, I suspect they will end up the biggest party."

Monique Turner, 20, Liberton "Global warming and making sure that everything is safe on that front. To be completely honest, I'm not really all for Scotland being independent, but then I don't want to vote for a Tory government either."

Ian MacDonald, 43, Galashiels "Law and order is not just an issue for the cities. It is just as relevant in rural areas, where the police seem over-stretched and rarely visible. We need more police officers on the street to act as a deterrent to crime. Politicians keep promising that they are tough on crime but if they don't provide the resources then the buck has to stop with them."

David Falconer, 45, electrician, Hilton, Aberdeen "I would like to see some sort of independence party in charge. It would be nice to see a change in policies."

Nicholas Jones, 25, New Town, Edinburgh "Council tax is a big issue at the moment. You can get a 75% discount if you're a single person, and I think it should only be 50%. Also, my partner is a student and there's a lot of hassle proving she's a student. The whole process of council tax is quite difficult."

Jo Donaldson, 23, Stockbridge, Edinburgh "It is the first time I've ever voted SNP, because I just don't feel Labour in Scotland is really Scottish. They are controlled by London."

Joe Shaw, 35, Glasgow "The Iraq war, education and the NHS. When Labour came to power, everyone had such high hopes - but look what happened. The country's in a mess."

Gemma Macdonald, 23, administrative assistant at Dounreay "The issue on everyone's mind up here is life after the decommissioning of Dounreay is completed. What will we all do? It affects people of all ages in Caithness. I have been here five and a half years and I don't know what there would be for me here without Dounreay."

Dick Maynes, 65, island of Jura "Transport is always a big issue for island communities, and we would love to see the Road Equivalent Tariff a system that ensures the cost of a ferry is no more expensive than a comparable journey on road, not so much for ourselves but for the cost of transporting good and services. It would make a huge difference to life here."

Jim Woodburn, 58, Shawlands, Glasgow "The parties in general are the issue - the way they talk about each other rather than their own policies. With the exception of the SNP, who are going to do away with Trident. They're not getting my vote."

Aonghas MacDonald, 24, civil engineer, Portree "I think the future of Gaelic remains a pressing issue. There has been a lot of work and investment in recent years but I am afraid the sad fact is that more is needed. We need to ensure that it not only survives, but grows."

Gill Robertson, 45, Livingston "Housing, because they're building lots of houses but not building the schools to go with them, and that's always been a huge problem for us in Livingston."

Graham Brown, 40, labourer, Galashiels "I want to see more done for young people in the Borders area. Too many have to move away because there are no decent jobs and the only ones available offer low wages. Young people are our future and have to be given some sort of chance."

Tina Koenig, 20, student, Peebles "I am deeply concerned about the lack of affordable housing. It is impossible to get a foothold on the property ladder in Peebles as the prices have virtually doubled in recent times. It is a sad state of affairs when I have to consider moving away from the area just to find a job."

Andrew MacEwan, 32, Leith "Environmental issues are important, especially recycling. We don't have facilities anywhere near our house. Other than that, I don't agree with the SNP with regards to independence. I think Scotland still needs to be part of the United Kingdom."

John Fisher, 71, Cumbernauld "Crime is important, and anti-social behaviour. The whole country has a problem with that. And I hope they don't take the free travel away from us."

Finlay Mure, 23, Edinburgh "I think independence is the future of our nation and an SNP victory is the biggest success we could have."

Mitchell Andrews, 44, Leith "I would like to see less party politics between the small-timers at Holyrood who seem to spend more time defending their existence than improving our lives."