So Where Does Scotland Stand on More Devolution?

Author: John Curtice

Download full chapter

Summary

The report presents findings from the 2013 Scottish Social Attitudes survey (SSA) and provides a detailed picture of public attitudes towards more devolution in the context of the Scottish referendum on independence in 2013.

Introduction

Formally the referendum in September on Scottish independence is simply about whether or not the country should leave the UK and become an independent state. No other proposition is formally on the table. However, the Liberal Democrats put forward a proposal for more devolution (primarily of taxation) as long as eighteen months ago, while both Labour and the Conservatives are due to announce in the next few weeks to what conclusions they have come about the possibility that the Scottish Parliament might be given more powers and responsibilities.

Meanwhile, It is an open secret that those campaigning for independence are hoping that voters who back more devolution might come to doubt that it will actually happen and thus can be persuaded to vote Yes as a result. In this briefing we look at the latest evidence from the 2013 Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey on how much support there appears to be for more devolution, how consistent people’s attitudes are towards it, and what appears to incline to persuade people to prefer more devolution rather than independence.