15th September 2016 Comment The Scottish independence referendum
Further evidence has emerged this week that the UK-wide decision to leave the EU has not significantly altered the balance of opinion on attitudes towards independence after all. Two polls, from Ipsos MORI (for STV News), the other from TNS (not for any particular client) both suggest that there is still a small majority in […]
2nd September 2016 Comment Perceptions of government & the Union The Scottish independence referendum
Summer is coming to an end. The streets of Edinburgh are about to be populated by politicians and their acolytes rather than festival goers. Next week the SNP announce their legislative programme for the coming year. And today the nationalists are finally getting around to launching their long-promised ‘summer offensive’ on independence. In the meantime, […]
8th July 2016 Comment How Scotland should be governed
The outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU has, as the First Minister has remarked, put the question of Scottish independence back ‘on the table’. Nicola Sturgeon long ago signalled that a UK-wide vote to leave the EU combined with a vote in Scotland to remain would likely be regarded as […]
13th June 2016 Comment How Scotland should be governed
With the opinion polls consistently showing that Scotland is set to vote to Remain in the European Union on June 23rd (the latest estimate from TNS released last week suggested that, after excluding Don’t Knows, as many as 71% might do so), there seems to be more interest north of the border in discussing what […]
6th June 2016 Comment How Scotland should be governed
One of the most striking features of polls of voting intentions in the European Union referendum is that people in Scotland are much more likely to say they will vote to Remain than are their counterparts in England & Wales. Whereas polls across Britain as a whole suggest the referendum race is tight, in Scotland […]
5th May 2016 Comment Elections, parties & leaders
Today’s Times carries the final opinion poll of the Scottish Parliament election campaign, conducted by YouGov between Monday and yesterday. This is the only poll of the campaign that would usually be regarded as a ‘final poll’, that is one that has been conducted sufficiently closely to polling day that its accuracy can reasonably be […]
3rd May 2016 Comment Elections, parties & leaders
The latest poll of voting intentions for Thursday’s election, conducted by Survation for the Daily Record, is of particular interest for two reasons. First, in contrast to Survation’s previous polls it was conducted by phone rather than via the internet. Second, the wording of the question used to ascertain voting intentions on the list vote […]
1st May 2016 Comment Elections, parties & leaders How Scotland should be governed
A poll by Panelbase in today’s Sunday Times Scotland provides Labour with some relatively encouraging news in its attempt to stay ahead of the Conservatives at Holyrood. At 23% on the constituency vote and 22% on the list, the party is estimated to be six and three points ahead of the Conservatives respectively. Such an […]
29th April 2016 Comment Elections, parties & leaders Policy issues
With the SNP apparently a long way ahead in the polls, much of the commentary about the Scottish election, including that provided by this blog has focused on whether Labour will or will not prove capable of retaining second place. Two polls released this week have done nothing to dispel that preoccupation. Not that the […]
24th April 2016 Comment Elections, parties & leaders Expectations of constitutional change Policy issues
With little more than a week and a half to go to the Scottish Parliament election (albeit with Labour remarkably still to unveil its manifesto) it seems there is nothing that can stand in the way of a second SNP overall majority. However, the battle for second place is evidently not resolved, as indeed is […]
Explore the What UK Thinks website. Non-partisan information on UK attitudes to the EU before and since the EU Referendum.
