Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The purpose of this study was to investigate Scottish attitudes to devolution and the Government's white paper. To ascertain what effect the white paper had on political opinion and support and to discover how much responsibility Scottish people felt their assembly should hold in relation to the Westminster Parliament.
Main Topics:
Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Most important problems for the Government, political support and voting intention. Preference for responsibility of decision-making in Scotland. Opinion on the way Scotland should be governed. Respondents asked to agree/disagree with a number of statements about self-government in Scotland and oil in the North Sea. Whether referendum on Government's plans for a Scottish Assembly was a good/bad idea, opinion of government's plans for giving Scotland greater control over her own affairs (strength of opinion), whether the Scottish Assembly or Parliament at Westminster should have final say in decisions. Effect of plans on amount of power held by the Secretary of State for Scotland (whether good or bad). Respondents asked to say which areas of Government policy should be the responsibility of the Scottish Assembly/Westminster Parliament. Whether Government's new plans will alter political party support (which party, whether respondent votes for same party in Scottish Assembly elections as for general elections at Westminster). Background Variables Age, sex, class, occupation, employment status, place of residence, trade union membership.
Two-stage 1. Systematic: 60 out of 71 parliamentary contituencies: stratified by political complexion, conurbation/urban/rural, and size of electorate 2. Quota: equal-sized quota sample of individuals aged 18-plus resident in each constituency. Quota controls (4 age and 4 social class groups within sex) were based on the most recent census and IPA National Readership Survey data available
Face-to-face interview
