A Broken Link? Support for Independence and the SNP

11th April 2023 Comment Elections, parties & leaders How Scotland should be governed

One of the key developments in Scottish electoral politics over the last decade has been a strengthening of the relationship between constitutional preference and party choice. Those who support independence have come overwhelmingly to support the SNP, while those who are opposed have become disinclined to do so. According to the Scottish Social Attitudes survey, […]



Could Labour Profit From Nicola Sturgeon’s Resignation?

16th February 2023 Comment Elections, parties & leaders

Scottish Labour meet in Edinburgh this weekend in better heart than for a long time. The party outpolled the Conservatives in last May’s local elections, the first time it had done so in a Scotland-wide ballot since 2016. Almost every poll conducted since the beginning of last year has suggested that the party has now […]


Does the Future of Gaelic Lie in Young People’s Hands?

28th December 2022 Comment National identity and cultural issues

Scotland is currently preparing to enjoy Hogmanay, one of the distinctive highlights of the country’s cultural and social calendar. We thought we would mark the occasion by reprising a piece of ScotCen research unveiled during the year that looked at attitudes towards another distinctive feature of Scottish life and culture – the Gaelic language. The […]


A Tale of Two Halves? The Supreme Court Judgement and Attitudes towards Independence

14th December 2022 Comment Elections, parties & leaders How Scotland should be governed The Scottish independence referendum

The Supreme Court judgement that the Scottish Parliament does not have the legal authority to hold a referendum on independence was widely welcomed by unionist politicians. However, so far at least, it seems to have undermined rather than underpinned the foundations of public support for the Union. Four polls of people’s vote intentions in a […]