The Post-White Paper Verdict: A Little Boost for Yes?

11th December 2013 Comment The Scottish independence referendum

The first post-White Paper poll, by Progressive for the Mail on Sunday, suggested the Yes vote had not increased at all in the wake of the publication of the Scottish government’s independence prospectus. The second, by Ipsos MORI for STV, showed the Yes vote was up by three points as compared with that company’s previous […]



Scottish-RUK Collaboration: The View from South of the Border

6th December 2013 Comment Cross border attitudes Expectations of constitutional change

One of the key characteristics of the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland, as laid out in last week’s White Paper, is that there should be many areas of continuing collaboration and sharing between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK (RUK).  The most controversial such proposal is that Scotland should continue […]


New TNS BMRB Poll: Signs of a Slight Boost for Yes?

5th December 2013 Comment The Scottish independence referendum

The latest TNS BMRB monthly poll of referendum voting intentions is published today. However, it was conducted between 20th and 27th November, largely before the publication of the White Paper on the 26th November. The poll thus does not take us any further forward in ascertaining whether the launch of the White Paper has had […]




England and Wales Would Vote No!

27th November 2013 Comment Cross border attitudes

Yesterday Alex Salmond was doing his best to persuade Scots to vote Yes in the referendum. Today we get the result of the first poll – conducted by YouGov for The Sun – to ask people in England and Wales how they would vote in response to the referendum question, ‘Should Scotland be an independent […]


The Poll Position – A Quick Guide

25th November 2013 Comment The Scottish independence referendum

The publication this week of the Scottish Government’s White Paper on Independence is arguably the most important development in the referendum campaign so far. It is intended to answer the public’s questions about what independence would entail – and to persuade them of the merits of a Yes vote.  But how big a task does […]



Major Referendum Conference: What Scotland Thinks….So Far

15th November 2013 Comment Site News

ScotCen / NatCen Social Research and What Scotland Thinks are kicking off the New Year with a major conference on Scotland’s independence referendum.  Chaired by Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland’s Political Editor, the all day event on 22 January will consider how well the key issues have been identified and addressed, how effective the two campaigns […]