Has Britain stepped closer to exiting the EU?

The referendum on Scottish independence, due Sept. 18, comes at a time of growing opposition in the United Kingdom to remaining in the European Union. This is significant because Scotland is the strongest base of pro-European sentiment in the U.K.

For example, a poll conducted earlier this year determined that if a referendum on continued EU membership had been held in June in the U.K. as a whole, 47.1 percent would have voted to leave, with 39.4 percent voting to remain.

But a poll in February 2014 showed that in Scotland, 48.7 percent would vote for the U.K. to remain in the EU, with 35.4 percent voting to leave. Other polls have also shown a consistent and markedly more positive attitude toward the EU in Scotland than in England.