Scottish independence poll: Yes vote on the slide

Backing for a Yes vote in September’s referendum has fallen to 35 per cent, while 54 per cent said they would vote No, the YouGov poll revealed. A further 10 per cent said they were undecided, while 2 per cent said they would not vote.

Without undecided voters or those who would not vote, the results were 39 per cent for Yes, and 61 per cent for No. The results represent a slight decrease in support for independence, and a slight increase in backing for a No vote compared with an earlier YouGov poll in March.

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Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall said: “This poll is a major setback to Alex Salmond’s negative and divisive campaign.

“The more people think about the consequences of breaking up the UK for jobs, pensions and public services, the more they are saying No Thanks to separation.”

The poll also questioned people about whether they thought Scotland would be economically better or worse off under independence. It found that 27 per cent believed the country would be better off, 49 per cent believed it would be worse off, 11 per cent said there would be no difference and 13 per cent did not know.

Meanwhile, 17 per cent said they believed they would be personally financially better off under independence, 43 per cent said worse off, 23 per cent said no difference and 17 per cent did not know.

A spokesman for the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign said: “Three other recent polls have recorded a significant increase in backing for Yes, with average support for independence at 47 per cent.

“We believe our positive message – that only with independence can the wealth of Scotland work for all the people – will be successful in September.”

• Isobel Lindsay on the 1979 and 2014 referendums