With a month to go until voting day, NO is at 57% and YES is at 43%
The latest numbers are 57% for NO and 43% for YES. The survey, conducted for The Times, finds a 4-point increase for YES support since YouGov’s Scottish referendum poll conducted a week ago (August 4-7). Overall, the NO lead has fallen from 22 points to 14 points.
These are the pecentages when excluding Don't knows and Wouldn't votes (11% of the total). The latest poll includes methodological changes introduced last week, namely the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds and a new weighting scheme that accounts for people's country of birth, so it is not directly comparable with YouGov’s polls conducted before this August. However, the changes last week made little difference to the overall result, apart from a minor boost for YES.
This is YouGov’s first poll on Scottish independence conducted entirely after the first live debate on the issue between Alistair Darling and First Minister Alex Salmond, which took place on August 5th. Many commentators credited Mr Darling with besting Scotland's first minister, but the latest YouGov poll sheds doubt on claims that the pro-union ‘Better Together’ campaign received a lasting boost following the debate.
With only 30 days to go, the campaign for Scottish independence is entering its final stages. There will be a second debate between Mr Salmond and Mr Darling on August 25th, broadcast on the BBC.
PA image
