Dr. Arno van der Zwet, research fellow at the EPRC, in collaboration with Dr Craig McAngus from the University of Stirling have published an article in Scottish Affairs. The publication examines assessments of independence and devomax in Scotland using data from the Scottish Social Attitude Survey.
The paper finds that on the whole, there is little difference between performance assessments of independence and DevoMax. However when considering national identity it can be seen that although Scottish identifiers by and large assess independence and DevoMax equally, strong British identifiers do not; they are considerably less negative about DevoMax.
Furthermore, although the patterns of performance assessment are unsurprising in terms of party affiliation, Labour affiliates are, on the whole, more positive about the future performance of an independent Scotland than might have been expected. It is also shown that the identity variables have a more powerful effect on perceptions of independence than DevoMax. These findings suggest that an element of heuristic shortcutting might be taking place.