Poll shows surge in support for Scottish independence
Published: Sept 2, 2014 8:24 a.m. ET
LONDON — A new poll Tuesday showed a surge in support for Scottish independence, dramatically raising the stakes for Britain’s leaders just weeks before Scots vote on whether to leave a 300-year-old union with the rest of the U.K.
Pollster YouGov said that in its latest poll of more than 1,000 Scots, 42% said they intend to vote for independence in a referendum Sept. 18, while 48% said they plan to vote to keep Scotland part of Britain. The remainder were either undecided or said they won’t take part.
YouGov’s latest poll was carried out between Aug. 28 and Sept. 1.
A poll earlier in August put the ‘no’ lead at 12 points.
“A close finish now looks likely, and a ‘yes’ victory is now a real possibility,†said Peter Kellner, YouGov President, in a blog on his firm’s website.
The pickup in support for the ‘yes’ campaign follows weeks of intense campaigning by both sides, including a bad-tempered televised debate between Alex Salmond, the chief minister in Scotland’s government and leader of the SNP, and Alistair Darling, a Scot and former U.K. finance minister who leads the pro-U.K. Better Together campaign. A snap poll published after the debate showed a majority of viewers thought Mr. Salmond the winner.
It also follows an intervention by business leaders, more than 100 of whom signed a letter saying independence would be bad for Scotland’s economy.
Published: Sept 2, 2014 8:24 a.m. ET
LONDON — A new poll Tuesday showed a surge in support for Scottish independence, dramatically raising the stakes for Britain’s leaders just weeks before Scots vote on whether to leave a 300-year-old union with the rest of the U.K.
Pollster YouGov said that in its latest poll of more than 1,000 Scots, 42% said they intend to vote for independence in a referendum Sept. 18, while 48% said they plan to vote to keep Scotland part of Britain. The remainder were either undecided or said they won’t take part.
YouGov’s latest poll was carried out between Aug. 28 and Sept. 1.
A poll earlier in August put the ‘no’ lead at 12 points.
“A close finish now looks likely, and a ‘yes’ victory is now a real possibility,†said Peter Kellner, YouGov President, in a blog on his firm’s website.
The pickup in support for the ‘yes’ campaign follows weeks of intense campaigning by both sides, including a bad-tempered televised debate between Alex Salmond, the chief minister in Scotland’s government and leader of the SNP, and Alistair Darling, a Scot and former U.K. finance minister who leads the pro-U.K. Better Together campaign. A snap poll published after the debate showed a majority of viewers thought Mr. Salmond the winner.
It also follows an intervention by business leaders, more than 100 of whom signed a letter saying independence would be bad for Scotland’s economy.
