The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Bullet points

Posted on August 12, 2013 by

The crowdfunded opinion poll this site commissioned from Panelbase last week was a wide-ranging one which covered numerous aspects of the independence debate in some depth. We had to break up our reporting into several pieces to keep it a manageable read. Here, however, is a quick summary of the top ten major findings.

polls1

The full data tables can be downloaded directly from Panelbase via this link.

36% of Scots voters are currently planning to vote No in the referendum, with 34% planning to vote Yes and 30% undecided.
(14% plan to rebel against the position of the party they support.)

67% of Scots do NOT believe the Scottish Parliament will be granted any additional new powers if there is a No vote in the referendum.
(And over a quarter of those people believe Holyrood’s powers will be REDUCED.)

If Scotland was currently an independent country, only 18% of Scots would vote to join the Union.
(With 55% against and 28% undecided.)

Not one of the prominent members of the Yes or No campaigns is believed by a majority of Scots to be “always or mostly telling the truth” about independence.
(But the No camp’s leaders are three times as distrusted as the Yes side’s.)

Over 80% of Scots who have heard “Better Together” campaign director Blair McDougall speak think he’s always or mostly lying.
(The most trusted figures are Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.)

Only 6% of Scots think the Scottish media is doing an adequate job of giving them the facts about independence.
(Almost six times as many think the media just prints what it’s told.)

Only 13% of Scots think the Scottish media is unbiased.
(Over three times as many think it’s biased AGAINST independence as FOR it.)

20% of Scots might switch parties after a Yes vote. Only 5% might switch after a No vote.
(22% are unsure, leaving only 53% definitely committed to their current party.)

Scots think it’s more likely that Scotland will be attacked by space monsters than by Russia or China.
(But their biggest fear, by an enormous margin, is of having more Conservative governments imposed on Scotland by English voters.)

Only 18% of Scots believe nuclear weapons protect Scotland from attack.
(Specifically from North Korea. If the threat is China, the number who believe nuclear weapons are a viable defence/deterrent falls to 12%.)

2 Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. 13 08 13 20:25

    Scottish Voters Split On Independence Question | An Sionnach Fionn

  2. 14 08 13 08:30

    Staggering | laidbackviews

24 to “Bullet points”

  1. Roger Terrett says:

    Some useful pointers for the Yes campaign; I hope Blair and Dennis are making notes.

    Reply
  2. Captain Caveman says:

    Fascinating reading, thanks for sorting out this poll.
     
    From my POV it is galling to note that the mainstream media is not reporting this. Many have criticised this site in the past for being too heavy on snarking and too light on serious, hard-headed, fair-minded debate, myself included. And yet, when the site DOES (uniquely?) provide top-quality information such as this, even if the interpretation was discarded (which I don’t think it should be btw) – it is apparently still blackballed? Folks can’t have it both ways. As uncomfortable reading as this might be, the info is important and should be disseminated as widely as possible!

    (Btw, haven’t forgotten my little task in case anyone’s wondering; just been stupidly busy and will continue to be so for the next few days. But I had to lend my brief support/comment to this).

    Reply
  3. Macart says:

    Cool, snack size.
     
    I’ve tried the old punt and push on a few sites in the last few days, be handy if I can just use bite size chunks. In fact I’ve seen a lot of WoS regulars punt this poll on other sites. Hope you got some through traffic Rev.

    Reply
  4. Susan says:

    I just sent my e-mail before reading your bullet points, sorry.
    Here is a copy of my e-mail:
    I feel badly let down by BBC Scotland as it has chosen to completely ignore the latest Panelbase poll on attitudes to independence,this poll was financed publicly and published on Wings over Scotland link to wingsoverscotland.com.

    This reeks of political bias and damages the BBC’s reputation for neutrality.

    Reply
  5. Luigi says:

    The BBC have been tried and found wanting.  There is no more ambiguity.  The BBC is a government propaganda machine, dedicated to protecting the union.  The great lie must be maintained.
     
    Anyone surprised?
     
    Keep up the pressure though, it’s getting to them!

    Reply
  6. Braco says:

    Any one of those bullet points would make the basis of an interesting and informative political article and at least half are worthy of front page headline status, going by some of the offerings we have had from the MSM and public Broadcasters in the recent past.
     
    ‘Succulent lamb’ served up on gold and silver platters doesn’t even seem to interest our Scottish/British journalistic profession anymore. Makes you wonder just what kind of diet they have become used too, when it comes to working on the Independence ‘debate’ ?
     
    Captain Caveman,
    I wouldn’t worry about any delay in forming that considered and positive argument for the Union. As you can see, I hardly think you will be scooped by our hard hitting betterNO campaign and their allies in the press rooms.
     
    Take your time pal, I am just happy someone out there (who is a believer) is willing to do some work and actually publish something that we can honestly debate.

    Reply
  7. The Man in the Jar says:

    @Captain Caveman
    Glad to read that you are still working on your “project” perhaps Rev. Stu could post it as an article. Now wouldn’t that be a turn up for the books! (Comments would be “enlightening”) Anyway good to see that you appreciate the good work carried out by Stu. Cheers for now!

    Reply
  8. The Rough Bounds says:

    It would be nice to think that the Yes campaign would be looking at this poll and making use of the findings, but they appear to me to be too interested in pushing the LGBT agenda than getting on with the job of regaining Scotland’s independence.

    Reply
  9. Ivan McKee says:

    email sent

    Reply
  10. Albert Herring says:

    No mention on link to facebook.com The can’t be censoring comments surely?

    Reply
  11. Braco says:

    The Rough Bounds,
    oops, I think your own non ‘regaining Scotland’s Independence’ agenda got pushed a wee bit there too.  I wonder how that happened?

    Reply
  12. Richie says:

    Joan McAlpine has shared this blog on her Facebook page.
    A bit less important but so have I 🙂

    Reply
  13. Eoin says:

    Brilliant stuff – thanks for sharing

    Reply
  14. Melissa Murray says:

    This certainly shows that despite a highly unionist press, the YES campaign is making great strides in getting the positive message out for independence. 
     

    Reply
  15. Marjorie says:

    I sincerely appreciate all your hard work Stu, thank you.

    Reply
  16. Bugger (the Panda) says:

    12 August, 2013 at 9:36 am
     
    Que
     
    You mean you are not LGBT?

    What site did you think you were on?
     
    So sad, but never mind.
     

    Reply
  17. scaredy cat. says:

    Thanks Stu. I shall cast this pebble into the facebook loch and watch the ripples spread. 

    Reply
  18. LukeSultan says:

    Email sent.
    Absolutely scandalous bias from Auntie.

    Reply
  19. Arbroath 1320 says:

    Excellent work carried out by your good self over the last week Stu, congratulations on your sterling work. I think you deserve a well earned rest in the “darkened room” for some total relaxation. 😆
     
    I think I know why NO ONE in the media has taken up the challenge to produce any coverage of this poll…….the MSM or BBC do NOT do TRUTH these days!

    Reply
  20. Peter says:

    36% of Scots voters are currently planning to vote No in the referendum, with 34% planning to vote Yes and 30% undecided.
    (14% plan to rebel against the position of the party they support.)”
    I have looked at the panelbase site & I dont see this?

    Reply
    • Rev. Stuart Campbell says:

      “I have looked at the panelbase site & I dont see this?”

      Click the link you just quoted.

      Reply
  21. Peter says:

    I did. Where was the question asked?

    Reply
  22. scottish_skier says:

    link to panelbase.com
    Page 4 Peter.

    Reply
  23. ScottishThinker says:

    “36% of Scots voters are currently planning to vote No in the referendum, with 34% planning to vote Yes and 30% undecided”
    Reading this, I’ve noticed an interesting comparison to a YouGov/BT poll from October last year:
    Support Independence: 30% 
    Strongly Oppose: 37%
    Tend to oppose/Unsure: 33%
     
    Interesting. When the referendum question is asked outright, 8%/9% of the people “Who tend to oppose” say no. 
     

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,785 Posts, 1,221,608 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: “@Xaracen “@CC, a good outcome in 12 months is that Scotland’s case is being evaluated by the C-24. No-one is…Jul 8, 12:13
    • sarah on Too Tight To Mention: “It wouldn’t have happened under Alex, I’m sure. Every single b…y decision by the authorities in Scotland is rubbish. Hence…Jul 8, 12:09
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: “No, Aidan, you are mischaracterising the plan. You may be thinking of my mischaracterisation, which I admitted was incomplete, but…Jul 8, 11:56
    • Dan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Aidan at 8:58am Yer being awfy selective bigging up Auld Reekie’s GDP, and it having a shit comedy show where…Jul 8, 11:54
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: “I think Xaracen’s inability and/or refusal to set out even in basic terms what a “good outcome” looks like in…Jul 8, 11:15
    • Anthem on Too Tight To Mention: “OT. But, why are we using American corporates as consultants for road infrastructure around fort William? Aren’t there any Scottish…Jul 8, 10:27
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “Again, there is no point in trying to rewrite history here. Go back and read the posts prior to May…Jul 8, 10:25
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: “No, Aidan, that was not the plan. I had misunderstood part of it because I was unaware at the time…Jul 8, 09:38
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Alf – does Edinburgh not have one of the highest rates of GDP per capita anywhere in the world, higher…Jul 8, 08:58
    • Alf Baird on Too Tight To Mention: “Gaun yersel Aidan, tell us aw aboot oor zero-growth unner-developed and plunnerred colonial economy aye rin bi a bunch o…Jul 8, 07:40
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “Let’s rewind back a bit, go back to any WoS post from May or earlier and the plan was very…Jul 8, 06:18
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “Dangerous stuff. The more boxes that are ticked that say “ye just Cannae dae it” and that we are in…Jul 8, 05:07
    • Anthem on Too Tight To Mention: “Brilliant!Jul 8, 01:33
    • Dunx on Too Tight To Mention: “The UK has a veto in the UN Security Council, not the General Assembly . The GA is a talking…Jul 8, 00:41
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “I suspect not MB. The problem I have with the Jacobite rebellions is the whole “using” thing the exiled Stuart’s…Jul 8, 00:24
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “LOLz 🙂Jul 7, 23:57
    • Stuart on Too Tight To Mention: “Would that be the same UN General Assembly where the UK Government can wield a veto? Why yes it is!…Jul 7, 23:21
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: “Only one page on JPTI appears relevant, Aidan, and it doesn’t say what you asserted. JPTI states on its site…Jul 7, 22:52
    • sarah on Too Tight To Mention: “Liberation’s case has to be approved by the General Assembly of the UN. That is well known. The route to…Jul 7, 22:28
    • Oneliner on Too Tight To Mention: “Not My KingJul 7, 22:27
    • Confused on Too Tight To Mention: “I like to think of it this way : an analogy Scotland is like Auschwitz (rich industrial area, but not…Jul 7, 22:10
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Too Tight To Mention: ““The foundational function of the State is the monopolistic organization of the power of the sword over a territorial cultural…Jul 7, 22:07
    • James on Too Tight To Mention: “I quite agree, “Chas” is indeed a unionist prick. Well said.Jul 7, 21:56
    • Northcode on Too Tight To Mention: “Leah Gunn Barrett has this to say about the Darien Scheme. The Darien Myth and the Origins of the Union…Jul 7, 21:53
    • Mark Beggan on Too Tight To Mention: “Pity the Jacobites didn’t win. Young English nationalists would be talking of the slaughter of London, the burning of Winchester.…Jul 7, 21:46
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Alf – I constantly praise Scotland and talk up its strengths both here and in person. Can the same be…Jul 7, 21:37
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Xaracen – it’s on the JPTI website. If you want the actual wording you’ll need to email JPTI or persuade…Jul 7, 21:35
    • Alf Baird on Too Tight To Mention: ““they talk about our history and culture as being ancient guff but not one of them has ever presented anything…Jul 7, 21:19
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: ““The Committee on Decolonisation has said conclusively that the case of Scotland won’t even be considered in any session as…Jul 7, 21:14
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “Chas Well first because it’s interesting, second because it’s pertinent to much of the discussion going on here and lastly…Jul 7, 21:12
  • A tall tale



↑ Top