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19 August 2020
Support for Scottish independence reaches 55 per cent, new poll finds

Image credit: PA Images

Support for Scottish independence reaches 55 per cent, new poll finds

Support for Scottish independence has gained a 10 per cent lead according to a new poll by Panelbase, the third poll in a week to put support for independence above 50 per cent. 

The survey, commissioned by pro-independence organisation Business for Scotland, found support for independence has reached 55 per cent, with those against at 45 per cent, excluding undecided voters.

Business for Scotland chief executive Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp said the results showed “the writing is very definitely on the wall for the union”.

The results comes after a YouGov poll for The Times last week found that 53 per cent of Scots – excluding “don't knows” – would vote in favour of Scottish independence, up two per cent from January and the highest level of support for independence ever recorded by YouGov.

And a third poll, released on Wednesday by market research company Savanta, put “yes” to Scottish independence at 54 per cent, with 46 per cent “no”, from data collected 6 to 13 August.

SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown said, with consecutive polls putting support for independence above 50 per cent, “it’s clear this is not a trend but the established position of the Scottish electorate”.

“When we look at Boris Johnson’s handling of coronavirus, and his Tory government’s contempt for all things Scotland, it is no wonder that the majority of voters in Scotland want to make their own decisions on the future of our country,” he said.

“More and more people in Scotland want the future of their country to be in their own hands, and not in the hands of Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings.”

Responding to the poll, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “I’m delighted to see yet another poll shows that ever more people in Scotland believe that it is time to choose independence.

“It’s no surprise that momentum towards independence continues to build in the face of utter contempt shown to Scotland by the Westminster Government. Boris Johnson’s disastrous handling of the pandemic and his sleekit attempts to undermine the democratic mandate of the Scottish Parliament have not gone unnoticed.”

The Panelbase survey generated 1,011 responses between August 12 and August 18, and asked Scottish-based voters aged over 16: Should Scotland be an independent nation?

Including undecided voters, the split was 51 per cent yes, 42 per cent no, with seven per cent undecided.

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