In this briefing we examine two questions about public attitudes towards Scotland’s constitutional status that arise from the UK’s decision to leave the EU. The first is to what extent have attitudes towards the EU and attitudes towards the constitutional question become intertwined? Is it the case that those who are in favour of EU […]
This paper uses data from the Scottish Social Attitudes survey over the past decade – during which there has been both an independence and an EU referendum – to examine changes in the role of identity and values in attitudes towards independence and electoral choice. The text examines first the link between support for independence […]
This paper uses new data from the 2019 Scottish Social Attitudes survey to examine the impact that the Brexit debate has had on attitudes in Scotland towards independence. It does so by (1) undertaking a systematic comparison of evaluations of the consequences of Brexit and the consequences of independence, and (2) comparing the evolution of […]
Using data from the 2017 British (BSA) and Scottish (SSA) Social Attitudes surveys, this report from Prof John Curtice and Ian Montagu details a systematic comparison of attitudes towards immigration in Scotland with those in England & Wales. It examines the overall prevalence of positive and negative attitudes towards the economic and cultural consequences of […]
This chapter of the 35th British Social Attitudes report, written by Prof John Curtice and Ian Montagu, finds that the overall level of support for Scottish independence has not changed in the wake of the EU referendum result. However, support for independence is now more strongly linked with a favourable attitude towards the EU, while […]
One of the key features of the independence referendum in September 2014 is that there was a substantial increase in support for independence during the course of the campaign, with most of those who voted Yes going on to reassert their support for the nationalist cause by subsequently supporting the SNP. We might anticipate, therefore, […]
This report, written by Prof John Curtice and based on data from the 2016 Scottish Social Attitudes survey, finds that the 2014 independence referendum left a legacy of record high levels of support for independence, with those backing independence having become more inclined to vote SNP in elections. At the same time, despite the 62% […]
Scotland’s voters go to the polls on 18th September in order to choose whether to stay in the United Kingdom or to leave and become an independent country. In this briefing we assess what impact the referendum has had on public attitudes towards independence, using new evidence from the 2014 Scottish Social Attitudes survey conducted […]
Women are less likely than men to say they will vote Yes to Scottish independence this September. This paper, by Rachel Ormston, uses data from the Scottish Social Attitudes survey (SSA) to explore this ‘gender gap’. It looks at where the gap is greatest and what, if anything, might explain it. Read the full […]
Explore the What UK Thinks website. Non-partisan information on UK attitudes to the EU before and since the EU Referendum.
