In addition, 13 per cent of English respondents say they would be better off without Scotland, and 36 per cent of Scottish respondents think they would be better off without England.
The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state until May 1, 1707, when the Acts of Union established the United Kingdom of Great Britain. In a 1997 referendum, voters in Scotland supported the creation of a legislative assembly with tax varying powers.
Earlier this month, Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond explained his views on sovereignty, saying, "There will be no Scottish MPs at Westminster after independence. The SNP, as you may know, does not vote on English matters at Westminster and it is right that Scottish MPs should not tip the balance on domestic English issues. Independence for Scotland and England would mean a new relationship of equals."
Scotland will renew its legislature on May 3.
Polling Data
Would you approve or disapprove of Scotland becoming an independent country?
| ENG | SCO | |
| Approve | 48% | 51% |
| Disapprove | 39% | 36% |
| Refused / Don’t know | 12% | 14% |
Do you think England would be better off or worse off without Scotland, or would it make no difference one way or the other?
| ENG | SCO | |
| Better off | 13% | 8% |
| No difference | 61% | 42% |
| Worse off | 22% | 40% |
| Don’t know | 4% | 10% |
Do you think that Scotland would be better off or worse off without England, or would it make no difference one way or the other?
| ENG | SCO | |
| Better off | 13% | 36% |
| No difference | 41% | 22% |
| Worse off | 42% | 33% |
| Don’t know | 4% | 9% |
Source: ICM Research / Daily Mail
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 883
English adults and 545 Scottish adults,
conducted from Jan. 5 to Jan. 9, 2007. No
margin of error was provided.