A new poll has further muddied the waters over voting intentions at next year’s independence referendum by signalling the amount of people undecided has almost doubled.
The TNS BMRB survey of 1,017 adults in Scotland shows 25% supporting independence, down from 33% in February. However, support for an outright No vote is also down from 52% to 47% with 28% saying “don’t know”, against 15% in February.
It is the third poll in a week to give wildly different results.
A YouGov survey published at the weekend predicted a 59% No vote, while a Panelbase poll in The Courier on Monday said the Yes campaign had gained the lead for the first time since campaigning began.
Tom Costley, of TNS Scotland, said: “The high number of don’t knows could turn out to be the most significant factor in how the referendum campaign develops.
“Both the Yes and No camps have lost ground in 2013, which suggests that neither campaign has yet succeeded in making a strong connection with the voters in Scotland.”
He added: “The surge in the number of those who have not decided how to vote may have arisen because both campaigns have succeeded in giving rise to doubts among some who have previously backed the other side, without generating positive support for their positions.”
Better Together’s campaign director, Blair McDougall, said: “In the last few days we have had two independently commissioned polls and both have shown support for leaving the UK at a record low.
Yes Scotland’s chief executive, Blair Jenkins, said: “We know from our own research that, the more people learn about independence, the more likely they are to vote Yes because they realise that having a government they vote for in Scotland is the best way to build a fairer, more prosperous country.”