Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Scottish Independence Referendum took place on Thursday 18 September 2014 and presented voters in Scotland with an opportunity to cast a vote on the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Funded as part of the Future of the UK and Scotland Initiative, the 2014 Scottish Referendum Study conducted an internet panel survey of around 3,000 Scottish adults (aged 16 and over) prior to and in the aftermath of the referendum vote. This constitutes one of the largest ever surveys of Scottish voters at any election or referendum. The data explore how individuals reach voting decisions and whether these processes differ from those in elections at the Scottish or UK level. The data focus on the impact of the campaign itself and how campaign engagement might interact with the timing of vote decisions, or knowledge of and perceived uncertainty about different constitutional options. This includes a comprehensive assessment of preferences for different constitutional options.

The study contains three waves:

• Wave 1: Pre-referendum wave (22/08/2014 - 20/09/2014). 4,849 respondents took part in Wave 1.
• Wave 2: Post-referendum wave I (26/09/2014 - 09/10/2014). Wave 2 was carried out as a 'top-up module' attached to the the third wave of the British Election Study Internet Panel (BESIP).
• Wave 3: Post-Referendum Wave II (28/09/2015 - 15/10/2015). 2,610 respondents took part in wave 3.

Further information may be found on the UKRI Scottish Referendum Study 2014 webpage.