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7 Fascinating Insights Into Why Scotland Voted Against Independence

An opinion poll conducted after polls closed asked people how they voted and why. This is what it found.

An opinion poll of 2,000 Scots conducted after polls closed last night gives an insight into why Scotland rejected independence.

In the absence of an exit poll, this private telephone survey, conducted by Conservative peer and politics obsessive Lord Ashcroft, is probably the nearest we'll get to knowing why individual Scots voted to stay part of the UK. The research was conducted after all votes had been cast, late on Thursday night.

1. The poll found young people were much, much more likely to have voted Yes than pensioners.

2. The vast majority of people who said they voted No always knew they'd vote No.

3. Yes voters voted for independence to protect the NHS and because they hate Westminster.

4. People who voted No were just a little bit more reluctant to talk about it with friends, family, and colleagues.

5. Yes voters voted for independence because they wanted Scotland to make its own decisions, rather than because they wanted to avoid Tories.

6. No voters predominantly rejected independence because of the economic risks, not because of an attachment to the rest of the UK.

7. And while No voters think the referendum should settle Scottish independence for a lifetime, most Yes voters think it should be revisited within a decade.

Scotland remained in the union because of old people, concerns over pensions, and people who wanted to keep the pound.

See you next time.

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