Yes and No voters more alike than you might think

Published On Wed 25 Mar 2015 by Grant Hill

Many voters in last year’s passionately contested referendum on Scottish independence were influenced by the same factors regardless of how they eventually voted, according to new research by the University of Dundee.

Experts in polling, social media and focus group research will present their findings from a qualitative study into voter behaviour in the independence referendum at the University on Saturday, 28th March.

The project team, led by Dr Edzia Carvalho, of the Politics programme at Dundee, conducted several focus groups with both Yes and No voters from the city in the aftermath of September’s vote.

While Yes supporters were frequently accused by opponents of voting emotionally rather than intellectually and No voters were characterised as being primarily motivated by fear, participants in the focus groups from both camps indicated their decision was arrived at by a combination of the heart and mind.

“What surprised us were the similarities in how Yes and No voters talked about their decision-making process,” said Dr Carvalho. “We saw Yes and No voters reporting they felt a duty to investigate the facts rationally before making up their minds, but the role of emotions was undoubtedly powerful.”

Dr Carvalho and Dr Kristi Winters from GESIS, Germany will explore these and other factors that shaped people’s choice, with contributions from voters on both sides. The impact of digital communication will be discussed by Dr Mark Shephard from the University of Strathclyde, while Steven Hope of Ipsos MORI Edinburgh will explore public opinion polls and the referendum. A Q&A session will follow the presentations.

‘The Scottish Referendum in Dundee: Looking Back, Looking Ahead’ takes place at 3 pm at the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building on Saturday 28th March. Free tickets can be obtained from http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-scottish-referendum-in-dundee-looking-back-looking-ahead-tickets-15973997657?aff=es2. The project is sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation.

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