A new Scottish independence poll has found that the proportion of people who support breaking away from the UK has risen ahead following a Supreme Court ruling.
The research found that 49 per cent of Scottish respondents said they would vote yes and 45 per cent said they would vote no if there were to be a referendum tomorrow on whether Scotland should be an independent country, with the remainder saying they do not know.
Redfield & Wilton Strategies carried out the poll on November 26-27, after the UK Supreme Court ruled on November 23 that another independence referendum cannot be held without the backing of Westminster.
Support for independence was higher than a comparable poll on September 18 last year when 44% of respondents said they would vote yes while 47 per cent said they would vote no.
The latest poll, of 1000 Scottish voters, also found that 46 per cent said they would support a referendum on Scottish independence being held in the next year, while 43 per cent would oppose one, nine per cent said they would neither support nor oppose the prospect and two per cent said they didn't know.
SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown MSP said: "This poll shows growing support for what the people of Scotland expressed in the 2021 election, they want a choice to become an independent nation.
"The chaos at Westminster in recent months has tanked the UK economy, accelerated inflation and crippled household budgets with soaring mortgages, all from successive Tory governments that Scotland didn't elect.
"Last week's ruling showed clearly that the UK is not a voluntary union. In a democracy, it is right for the people to have their say and neither the Tories or Labour should be able to deny that.
"The message to Westminster parties now is clear, Scottish democracy cannot be denied."
First Minister Sturgeon has set out plans to use the next general election, to be held no later than January 2025, as a de facto referendum on the constitutional question.
The poll also found that if a second referendum were to be held in Scotland in the next six months, 43 per cent of respondents expect the yes side would win, while 39 per cent said no would win and 18% said they don't know.
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