More than half of people in Scotland do not want another independence referendum next year, according to a new poll.
Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans for a second vote on the issue on October 19, 2023.
With the UK government refusing to give consent for such a vote to be held, Ms Sturgeon is asking UK Supreme Court judges to decide whether Holyrood can hold a referendum without Westminster’s support.
However, when asked if a referendum should be held next October, 53% of people said no, 40% said they should do so and the rest were undecided, according to a survey by The Scotsman.
If the Supreme Court judges decide that the vote cannot take place, Mrs Sturgeon has already stated that the next Westminster election will be a “de facto referendum” on Scotland’s place in the UK.
🚨NEW voting intention # indyref2 for @TheScotsman
✅ Yes 44% (-1) ❎ No 46% (-1) ❓ Undec. 10% (+3)
without Undec.✅ Yes 49% (=) ❎ No 51% (=)
1,029 Scottish adults, 23-28 June
(change from April 26 to May 3) pic.twitter.com/J7BnAFNKlu
– Savanta ComRes (@SavantaComRes) June 30, 2022
The Scotsman poll, conducted by Savanta ComRes, found that 44% of respondents support independence, while 46% oppose it, both 1% less than in a poll last month, while the 10% is undecided, which increased by three percentage points.
When the do not know is removed, 49% said they would vote Yes, while 51% said they would vote No, which did not change.
Savanta ComRes interviewed online 1,029 Scottish adults aged 16 and over between 23 and 28 June.
Associate director Chris Hopkins told the newspaper that the results on the question of whether Scotland should be an independent country are “practically neck and neck”.
He said: “Support for a second independence referendum without Article 30 is driven by those in the Yes camp; the opposition comes almost entirely from the field of No.
“Four out of five Yes voters say the independence case is stronger now than in 2014, most No voters say it is weaker now.
“The battle lines that were drawn in 2014 are too familiar, and Nicola Sturgeon’s challenge to hold a referendum at almost any price only deepens that division.”