ABSTRACT
As we have seen, the Yes campaign had good grounds for optimism about the outcome of the referendum. Most survey and poll evidence on the issue throughout the 1980s and 1990s had suggested that a clear majority of the Scottish electorate favoured a devolved Parliament. The only major political party supporting the constitutional status quo, the Conservatives, had seen their electoral base erode dramatically since 1979. And during the run up to the referendum opinion polls generally suggested that over 60 per cent of the Scottish electorate intended to vote Yes for a Parliament, even including those who were uncertain about how they would vote (see Table 6.1).
