Support for independence hits a new low

Published on Wednesday 1 December 2010 13:32

SUPPORT for independence has fallen to its lowest point since devolution and the number of Scots believing that Scotland does well out of being part of the UK has risen, new research has suggested.

New figures produced by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) shows that just 23 per cent of those surveyed believe in Scottish independence, one point below the previous low of 24 per cent recorded by the institute in 2007.

ScotCen's Scottish Social Attitudes survey (SSA) also showed that the proportion of Scots who believe that Scotland's economy benefits from the Union has increased from 16 per cent to 26 per cent over the last decade. Of those polled, 45 per cent of people think both countries benefit equally.

The same ten-year period saw a decline in the number of Scots who believe England's economy benefits more from the Union than Scotland's.

In 2000, 42 per cent of those surveyed believed that the Union benefited England more than Scotland. That figure has since fallen to 23 per cent in 2010.

The day after the UK government published a Scotland Bill that will hand more tax-raising and new borrowing powers to Holyrood, the research indicated that only 39 per cent of Scots think MSPs should have the power to increase or decrease Scottish tax.

Despite Scottish Secretary Michael Moore's claim that the Scotland Bill represented the "settled will" of the Scottish people, the survey showed that 58 per cent thought that taxation levels should be the same across the UK.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University and research consultant to ScotCen, said: "People in Scotland are now less likely to feel Scotland gets a raw deal from the Union than they were when the Scottish Parliament was first created.

"This helps explain why support for independence has not grown.

"However, there remains a clear desire for Scotland to have more control over its own affairs than is currently the case."

The survey by ScotCen, an independent social research institute, used a representative sample of 1,495 Scots, questioned between June and October this year. The SNP's opponents claimed the poll results were a blow to Alex Salmond's party's drive for independence.

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: "It's clear not just from the polls, but from the doorstep election campaign I have been leading, that support for separation and the SNP plans to break away is at an all-time low. The great majority of Scots want to remain part of the UK .

"This survey is another embarrassing setback for the SNP. They are out of tune with the Scottish people."Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: "This is another nail in the coffin of Alex Salmond's and the SNP's obsession with independence."

Liberal Democrat MSP, Robert Brown said: "Poll after poll confirms that people in Scotland are happy with being part of the United Kingdom.

"The measures proposed by the Scotland Bill launched yesterday by Scottish Secretary Michael Moore will give Scotland more power while still being a secure part of a strong United Kingdom."

The SNP took comfort from a finding that suggested that almost half (45 per cent) of those surveyed would favour independence, if it meant if taxes were to go down by 500.

Also, 62 per cent agreed that the Scottish Parliament should control welfare benefits.

Mr Salmond's spokesman said: "The positive message of this poll - along with the strong findings that Scotland should have control of welfare and taxes - is that the growth potential which only financial responsibility and independence offer galvanises popular support."