Scottish Independence: What Do the Polls Say?

The rumblings of a second independence referendum in Scotland have never really gone away. Before the most recent Scottish Parliament election last May, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said that should her party win a majority she will push through a bill to allow a "legal referendum" should the UK government, as expected, reject her request for a Section 30 order.

This week, Sturgeon finally announced that her devolved government had requested the supreme court to rule on the legality of holding a new referendum without the green light from Westminster. The first minister told MSPs the SNP wants to hold a second independence referendum on October 19, 2023. Should the legal basis for the vote be adjudged to be absent, Sturgeon says her party will campaign in the next UK election with independence as its only policy, making it “a de facto referendum”.

Whatever route Sturgeon and the SNP end up going down, the most recent polling on the issue suggests they have their work cut out convincing the electorate that independence is the best choice for Scotland. In the first independence referendum in 2014, 55 percent voted "No" - against separating from the United Kingdom - and as this infographic shows, "No" is in the lead now, too.