Two-thirds believe IndyRef2 should not be a priority for the Scottish Government

A new poll, undertaken by Survation on behalf of Scotland in Union, said only 28 per cent of people viewed another referendum as a priority.

IndyRef2 should not be a priority for the Scottish Government, a new poll has shown.

A new poll for the pro-union campaign group Scotland in Union has shown two-thirds of Scots believe that independence and constitutional matters should not be a priority for the Scottish Government at this time.

The poll, undertaken by Survation on behalf of the campaign group which interviewed 1,008 people between September 10 and 12, said 28 per cent of Scots believed IndyRef2 should be a priority, while 68 per cent believed it shouldn’t be.

Scotland in Union’s chief executive Pamela Nash said the poll showed the SNP had the wrong priorities after it announced it would draft a bill for a second independence referendum before the 2021 Holyrood elections.

However, support for independence is at its highest level ever with several consecutive polls showing Yes with support as high as 55 per cent.

Nearly three-quarters of Scots believe the election debate should be “primarily focused” on economic and public service issues rather than Scottish independence, the poll said, with the response to Covid-19 topping concerns.

Behind the response to the pandemic which was chosen by 58 per cent of respondents, the NHS (50 per cent), the economy (41 per cent), jobs (23 per cent), and education (20 per cent) all topped constitutional affairs (11 per cent).

Among SNP voters in the 2019 general election, a third said IndyRef2 is not a priority, with just under a fifth saying the issue as a whole is a priority for Scotland.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said it was time for Nicola Sturgeon to start listening.

She said: “This poll shows that the SNP has the wrong priorities.“Rather than obsessing about a divisive second independence referendum, most people in Scotland want their government to focus on what really matters: our NHS, jobs, and schools.“When barely a quarter of people in Scotland believe another referendum is a priority, it’s time for Nicola Sturgeon to start listening. Even her own supporters are clear that she has her priorities skewed.“We are stronger together as part of the UK, and as we recover from COVID-19 the Scottish Government has a duty to focus on bringing people together.”

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