By Hannah Rodger

Westminster correspondent

BREXIT has diminished support for the union in Scotland and boosted independence ratings according to a new study.

According to research by polling guru Sir John Curtice, the majority of Scots are not hopeful about the future of the country post-Brexit, but are more hopeful about its future if it became independent.

The study, released today, comes after Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross said that the way Brexit had been handled had damaged the union, and called for the UK Government to make a more emotional case for a united four nations.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange yesterday, Mr Ross said:”I said that independence was not inevitable and I truly believe that is the case.

“But you can’t ignore the way that Brexit and how it has been delivered has undermined the perception that there are common shared values that unite us.”

He added that the “key driving force” behind independence support was “the perception that our values are no longer shared”.

Mr Ross explained: “After the Brexit process and the handling of the pandemic, they no longer see our Union as underpinned by shared values, as special.”

He added that it was the UK Government’s job to “reemphasise the shared values that exist across our four nations”.

The latest study by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (SCSR) analysed data from Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) surveys conducted over the past several years to determine if Brexit had impacted Scots’ views on the constitution.

The SSA has been tracking public opinion towards how Scotland should be governed ever since the advent of devolution in 1999.

Sir John, along with researcher Ian Montagu, found that of those who would vote ‘Remain’ in another EU referendum, support for Scottish independence had risen from 44 per cent in 2016 to 57 per cent in 2019.

In contrast, among people who would vote ‘Leave’ in another EU referendum, the proportion backing independence has fallen over the same period from 45 per cent to 39 per cent.

The survey also found 18 per cent believe the UK’s economy would be better off in the wake of Brexit, while 43 per cent feel Scotland’s economy would improve under independence.

Crucially, more than half of Scots (51per cent) listed their ‘constitutional preference’ as independence, while 36 per cent backed devolution and 7 per cent supported scrapping the Scottish Parliament.

Sir John, a senior fellow at the SCSR said: “For a while after the EU referendum, it looked as though the lack of support for Brexit in Scotland was failing to move the dial on public opinion about independence.

“Over time, however, the pursuit of Brexit has weakened many people’s views of the merits of the union.

“For a significant body of people in Scotland, independence inside the EU has now come to look more attractive than being part of a UK that is outside the EU.

“That may not have been either the wish or the intention of those who have advocated leaving the EU but that does not mean that they can afford to ignore the apparent consequences.”

The 2019 survey found 54 per cent of those polled believe Scotland’s voice in the world would be stronger as an independent country, while 15 per cent felt Brexit would lead to the UK having more global influence.

Meanwhile, 25 per cent of people in Scotland felt that being part of the EU undermines the UK’s distinctive identity, while 62 per cent feel that an independent Scotland would have more pride in itself.

Scotland’s Constitution Secretary Mike Russell said the research proved the change in national mood towards independence.

He said:“This survey shows that there has been a fundamental shift in the national mood in Scotland in favour of independence.

“The people of Scotland overwhelmingly reject Brexit and the narrow, isolationist stance of Boris Johnson’s Government and believe Scotland will prosper as an independent country.”

He added: “The Tories have removed Scotland from the EU against our will and are now, unbelievably, threatening to impose a disastrous hard Brexit in the middle of a pandemic and economic recession.

“As an independent member of the EU we will be an equal partner with our friends in the rest of the UK and Europe.”