Support for independence at 50 per cent, finds Ipsos MORI

Support for Scottish independence has risen to 50 per cent, according to a new Ipsos MORI poll.

The survey, conducted for STV, found that among those who said they are very likely or certain to vote in an immediate referendum, views on independence were split 50-50.

Ipsos MORI found support for independence has risen by two per cent since the company’s last survey, conducted six months ago.

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It found 17 per cent of those surveyed thought an independent Scotland should reject EU membership, with 48 per cent in favour of an independent Scotland becoming a full member of the EU, and 27 per cent in support of a Norway-style option to gain full single market access.

But men were more likely to support independence than women, with 56 per cent of men in favour of independence, and 54 per cent of women opposed.

The poll also asked voters to state their support for independence on a scale of one to ten – with one representing complete support for independence and ten being complete support for the Union. It found 28 per cent were in complete supported independence, with 38 per cent in total support for the Union.

Mark Diffley, Ipsos MORI Scotland director, said: “There has been much recent speculation about if and when there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence.

“In the immediate aftermath of the EU Referendum vote last June there was an increase in support for independence, which ebbed away later in the year.

“This poll suggests some modest movement back towards independence since we last measured opinion six months ago. It will certainly provide the SNP with a lift ahead of their spring conference in Aberdeen next week."

The poll was based in a survey of 1,029 Scots aged 16 or over by telephone between February 24 and March 6, 2017.