Tall Tales: Understanding Religion and Scottish Independence

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

There are a number of tall tales about how religion shapes opinions on Scotland's constitutional future. This article outlines some of the more common of these, as well as claims of a recent ‘silent revolution’ amongst Scotland's Catholics. These are examined through the evidence of Scottish Social Attitudes Surveys. The article concludes that the apparent associations between religious group and support for independence in fact spring from differential experiences of secularisation. Far from demonstrating shifts in religious opinion, the evidence suggests that religious belonging now has little or no relevance to attitudes towards independence.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)332-341
JournalScottish Affairs
Volume23
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2014

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Scottish referendum
  • religion
  • independence
  • Catholics
  • public opinion

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