“YES Scotland vs Better Together” How did it all happen?

This analysis stems from a desire to understand more thoroughly one of the most interesting political and participatory processes that have taken place in the first two decades of the 21st century in Europe: the referendum on self-determination for Scotland held in September 2014.

In an exemplary way, the Scots have shown us the way forward for the resolution of the democratic aspirations to sovereignty of European Nations without States. We deem necessary to take advantage of this experience as a source of learning for all peoples claiming their right to self-determination and independence. This is why we decided to offer a contribution to a better understanding of some of the factors and variables present in the Scottish case.

We wished to further understand the mechanisms and underlying logic involved in the perceptions and behaviours of the Scottish population faced with a question that has changed the future of Scotland and Europe forever. To do this, we decided to analyse the process from three different perspectives. First of all, we wished to examine, in the most detailed way possible, how the design of campaigns in favour and against the independence of Scotland affected the opinion of the people of Scotland (taking into account sociodemographic variables such as social class, gender, education and age). We also wanted to learn what discursive elements were decisive in the final choice for which people voted. Secondly, we reviewed the level of mobilization on social networks of activists in favour of the Yes and No camps, noting how much support and action within this context was transformed into actual electoral support for the different campaigns. Finally, we tracked the international component of the referendum and its effect on the global agenda. We examined how the issue generated public opinion and forced many socio-political protagonists to come down on one side or the other. In short, we sought to examine fully a phenomenon that received enough attention, in a large part of the Western world, to warrant its prominence, for months, on the front pages of the most influential international newspapers.