Less than 1 in 5 voters think Indyref2 is priority
Survey finds public want economy put at top of the agenda in election
FEWER than one in five people rank Scottish independence as their top priority ahead of next month’s Holyrood election, a poll has found.
The survey by Savanta ComRes found that half of voters rated the state of the economy as their top concern, while 31 per cent selected education and Brexit was chosen by 25 per cent.
Just 19 per cent of the 1000 people said independence was their top priority.
But the poll also found that 53 per cent of voters believe an IndyRef2 should take place within the next five years, while 22 per cent said a future referendum should be ruled out entirely, once people who expressed no opinion were excluded from the total.
Respondents were asked to pick their three “most important issues facing Scotland”, with half stating the economy was one of the key topics.
Health was the second mostselected option, chosen by 45 per cent of Scots, followed by employment and welfare at 35 per cent.The survey of 1007 over-16s in Scotland also suggests an SNP majority or an SNP/Green coalition would have the most backing as the “best mandate” for a second independence referendum, rather than involvement from Alex Salmond’s new Alba party.
The poll also found support for independence is at 50 per cent when “don’t know” responses are excluded – the same as support for Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom.
More than half (53 per cent) say there should be another referendum on independence in the next five years, with 19 per cent of those believing it should take place within 12 months.
An SNP spokesman said: “The Westminster parties know there is going to be an independence referendum, when the threat posed by Covid has passed, if people in Scotland vote for one.”
Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly said there would be grounds for a new vote on Scotland’s future if her party wins a majority of MSPs on its own.