Scotland Decides: A Social Look At The Independence Referendum

At a glance Explore the social media perspective on Scotland's historic Independence Referendum. Discover the key voices and topics swaying the vote.

On Thursday, September 18th, the people of Scotland will make possibly one of the most important decisions in British history. There are only two options: Yes or No. If "Yes" wins, then Scotland will no longer be part of the United Kingdom and become a fully independent country. We at Buzz Radar have been monitoring the discussion around the campaigns by both positions. We've included keywords, such as "better together", to give the biggest possible view of the conversation. We're also highlighting the most influential voices to see who could sway the vote and the key topics in the debate. You can see our real-time visualisation here. With an unprecedented 97% of the population expected to vote, social media may not tell the whole story, but it can certainly tell us which campaign is getting people talking more. As we've been monitoring the conversation hour-by-hour, we're noticing a lot more support for the Yes campaign.

With both campaigns switching places in the polls in the last couple of days, could the enthusiasm around the Yes campaign demonstrated in our findings be reflected when it comes to the poll crunch or will there be a silent majority not seen on social media? Only time will tell but for now keep your eyes on our real-time tracker to see which campaign is winning the online battle.

Nicky Yates Published on September 12, 2014 4:00 am

Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQs

When was Scotland's independence referendum held?

Scotland's independence referendum was held on Thursday, September 18th, 2014. Voters had two options: Yes for independence or No to remain part of the United Kingdom.

What was the Better Together campaign in Scotland?

Better Together was the campaign that opposed Scottish independence during the 2014 referendum. It argued for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom rather than becoming a fully independent country.

How many people voted in the Scottish independence referendum?

An unprecedented 97% of Scotland's registered population was expected to vote in the independence referendum. This represented one of the highest voter turnout rates in British political history.

Did social media accurately predict the Scottish referendum result?

Social media showed more support for the Yes campaign leading up to the referendum, but this didn't necessarily reflect the final vote outcome. The online enthusiasm may not have represented the views of all voters, including potential silent majorities not active on social platforms.