Scottish Independence Referendum 2014

The focus of this research, led by Professor Lindsay Paterson, Dr Jan Eichhorn and Dr Mark Shephard in 2013-2014 was analysing public attitudes towards the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. In particular, the researchers explored the attitudes of young people (aged 16-17) towards the referendum and the impact of social media on public sentiment.

There were three main projects as part of this research:

Measuring public attitudes towards Scotland’s constitutional future

The impact of social media discussion threads on public sentiment

Survey of young Scots

A number of publications emerged from this work, including a special edition of the journal Scottish Affairs, published in February 2014.

Further publications linked to this research include:

Lindsay Paterson – Utopian Pragmatism: Scotland’s Choice – Scottish Affairs Scottish Affairs, Volume 24 Issue 1, Page 22-46, ISSN 0966-0356, January 2015

Jan Eichhorn – Newly Enfranchised Voters: Political Attitudes of Under 18-Year Olds in the Context of the Referendum on Scotland’s Constitutional Future – Scottish Affairs, Volume 23 Issue 3, Page 342-353, ISSN 0966-0356, June 2014