NICOLA Sturgeon is the most popular politician in Scotland by far, according to the latest polling from Redfield and Wilton Strategies.
The firm found the First Minister’s approval rating (+14) remains high, though has slipped a little since the start of the year.
Meanwhile Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak scraped through net-positive favourability ratings on +5 and +3 respectively.
Despite the positive approval rating it’s not all good news for Sarwar. According to recent Opinium polling on Scots’ voting intentions, Scottish Labour’s support level has declined across the board under Sarwar’s leadership. Just 18% (-4) of people would back them on the constituency vote and 16% would vote for them on the regional list at a Holyrood election.
Meanwhile, their Westminster vote share was down three points, with just 17% planning to back the party.
UK Labour leader Keir Starmer is suffering in Scotland too. Just 19% of people approved of his performance in the role, compared to 38% of those who disapproved.
The three least popular politicians were Boris Johnson, on a -38 approval rating, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on -43, and Alba leader Alex Salmond on -57.
The study, commissioned by Politico, also found support for the Union to be slightly higher than support for Scottish independence.
READ MORE: Scottish independence support ahead and SNP on 51% in latest Opinium poll
The pollsters also found support for the timing of a future independence referendum was split. Sturgeon has pledged to hold one by 2023, Covid permitting.
According to the poll, 41% of Scots back holding a vote within five years, while 42% do not.
The poll was carried out among 1000 Scottish voters on September 18, the seven-year anniversary of the 2014 independence referendum.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel