Scottish vote 'no change' for Wales suggests BBC poll

About 1,000 people were quizzed on what the Scottish referendum could mean for Wales

Nearly two-thirds of Welsh voters believe a Scottish vote for independence should not change the way Wales is governed, according to a poll.

Sixty-one per cent asked thought a 'Yes' vote should make no difference - while 17% said it should lead to more powers for the Welsh assembly.

A further 14% questioned said a 'Yes' vote in Scotland should lead to Welsh people voting for independence.

The poll is part of BBC Wales' Measuring Devolution series.

Commenting on the survey results, Prof Roger Scully of Cardiff University's Welsh Governance Centre told the Sunday Politics Wales programme: "I think lots of people find it difficult to make the leap of the imagination to understand what a 'Yes' vote in Scotland would mean and what might be its potential implications for Wales.

"At the moment the referendum is still three months away and it's still looking as if a 'No' vote is the more likely outcome.

"A 'Yes' vote is certainly possible and if that did happen it might then start to change the way people in Wales think about things."

Neighbours 'important'

He added: "Perhaps the poll also suggests that for many people in Wales what really is most important is not so much the UK as a whole but the union between England and Wales. That's what really matters to them in terms of the way Wales is governed".

Scottish voters get the chance to have their say on 18 September

The Sunday Politics Wales programme also spoke to the two sides in the Scottish referendum campaign.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie, a supporter of Scottish independence, said a 'Yes' vote would be transformational: "If you want the kind of transformation that the Greens and many others in the radical parts of politics think is necessary, I don't see that happening from the Westminster culture.

"I don't see the opportunity to create that space for change with a 'No' vote. A 'Yes' vote could not only create that change in Scotland, it could stimulate that change in the rest of the UK."

But 'No' campaigner, the Conservative MSP Liz Smith, argued that there was greater security for Scotland by staying part of the UK.

"We are absolutely clear, and I think the vast majority of people in Scotland are absolutely clear if you believe a sway of the opinion polls, that we are better as part of the United Kingdom" she said.

"We make that decision not just for for what's better for Scotland but for what's better for the rest of the United Kingdom including Wales."

Scottish voters go the polls for their independence referendum on 18 September.

ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1004 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 22 May - 1 June, 2014. Interviews were conducted across Wales and the results have been weighted to the profile of all Welsh adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.