Nearly half of people in Scotland think the situation for the poorest in society will get worse as a result of Brexit, a new poll suggests.

The YouGov research found 46% thought the poorest would be worse off because of the UK leaving the European Union (EU) compared to 8% who thought they would be better off.

The figures also showed that 45% thought the situation in Scotland in relation to the economy and society would get worse compared to 13% who thought it would get better.

Read more: Scottish voters do not want to separate from rest of UK, says Theresa May

A narrow majority (51%) believed it was important for the Scottish Government's proposed plans to remain in the European single market to be taken seriously by the UK Government in its negotiations with the EU.

Around a third (29%) of those surveyed believed the UK Government need not factor in the plan proposed by the Scottish Government.

Scottish Brexit minister Michael Russell said the findings "underlined the huge economic threat from a hard Tory Brexit".

Mr Russell said: "These figures show that people right across Scotland understand the massive economic damage that is threatened by the Tories' hard Brexit obsession, which risks tearing us out of a single market eight times bigger than the UK's alone.

"People think - by a margin of more than three to one - that the Scottish economy is more likely to get worse than better as a result of Brexit.

"An even bigger proportion think the situation will get worse for the poorest in Scottish society.

Read more: Scottish voters do not want to separate from rest of UK, says Theresa May

"Theresa May's confirmation of the hardest of hard Brexits will only drive more and more people across Scotland to the conclusion that being driven off an economic cliff-edge is an act of gigantic self-harm which Scotland must be protected from."

A total of 2,066 Scots were surveyed for the research, which was carried out between January 6 and 16.