Scottish independence campaign gaining ground, polls suggest

With less than two weeks to go until Scotland's referendum, polls suggest an increase in those favoring independence from the United Kingdom, with one survey for the first time putting the "yes" vote ahead.

On September 18, voters in Scotland will be presented with a simple yes/no question: Should Scotland be an independent country?

A "yes" vote would mean Scotland splits from the rest of the United Kingdom -- that is, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Activists on both sides are stepping up their efforts as the historic referendum approaches.

A YouGov poll conducted for The Sunday Times and released on Sunday showed the "yes" vote at 51% and "no" at 49%. The poll of 1084 voters excluded undecided voters and YouGov said the numbers represented "a statistical dead heat."

YouGov President Peter Kellner said a 2-point gap was too small to predict the outcome of the referendum but demonstrated that support for the "Better Together" campaign had fallen "at an astonishing rate." Four weeks ago YouGov put "no" at 58% and "yes" at 42%, Kellner said.

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"The Yes campaign has not just invaded No territory; it has launched a blitzkrieg," he said.

Kellner said voters from the Conservative party had continued to oppose independence but that all other voters had moved closer toward a breakaway Scotland.

Meantime a Panelbase poll commissioned by Yes Scotland and also released Sunday suggested that 48% of voters supported independence -- excluding undecideds -- while 52% wanted to remain united.

A "poll of polls" compiled by ScotCen -- before the latest YouGov and Panelbase surveys -- put the "yes" vote for independence at 47% and the "no" vote at 53%. The company, which describes itself as an independent social research center, said those results were based on three polls from YouGov, two from Panelbase and one from Survation.

It also suggested that the "yes" vote was gaining momentum, while the "no" vote was losing it.