Social Constituency and Ideological Profile: Scottish Nationalism in the 1990s

Abstract

Using data from the 1992 Scottish and British Election Surveys, the authors examine various models which might explain the changes in the level and type of Scottish National Party voting. In the analysis they are also concerned with voters for other parties who support the central SNP policy: independence, for Scotland. The protest, relative deprivation, identity, and new social movement models are stated and explored. The authors conclude that a major problem for the SNP is that the basic Scottish identity, to which the Nationalists want to appeal, is felt almost as strongly by Labour voters as by those who choose the SNP. The SNP has not been able to establish a reputation as a credible party of government which could take over the role of the spokesperson for the national community. At the same time, it is not likely to disappear as the major challenger in Scottish politics.