Scotland's Shifting Identities
How Scottish cultural identity is changing
One of the things which fascinates me about Scottish culture is the way it has shifted through time. Being part of a Union since 1707 has led to varying expressions of ‘Scottishness’ or ‘Britishness’, or both. Questions of identity have woven their way into Scotland’s art and literature, often to reaffirm and recommit to a sense of Scottish distinctiveness.
That’s why this week’s release of data from the Scottish Census 2022 is so fascinating. The Census question on national identity reveals that the number of Scots who identify as ‘Scottish only’ has risen to 65.5%. The percentage who identified themselves as ‘Scottish and British’ has dropped to 8.2% (a fall of 10% since 2011).
Measuring the shift in Scottish identity from the last census in 2011 takes in the 2014 referendum period, Brexit, and the rise of a more ‘muscular unionism’. Any combination of factors could have contributed to such a change.
That being said, people’s sense of identity doesn’t automatically correlate with their view on independence. There may be 65.5% who identify as ‘Scottish only’, but we don’t have 65.5% for independence. Some independence supporters feel partly British. Equally, support for the Union isn’t as low as the ‘Scottish and British’ or ‘British only’ figure. Still, it’s an interesting measure of how people see themselves culturally, which could indicate where Scotland is heading.
However near or far independence may be, surely it’s a long-term issue for the Union that the majority of Scots don’t identify themselves as British. For independence supporters, there seems to be a more solid base upon which to build a majority - but it will also require new energy and fresh thinking.
There’s a well-worn idea of appealing to ‘the head versus the heart’ when it comes to Scotland’s possible futures. But it’s starting to look like the pro-Union side could have relatively little to go on when it comes to the latter.
In terms of Scotland’s languages, the Census also found that an additional 43,100 now have some skills in Gaelic, whilst skills in the Scots language rose from 37.7% in 2011 to to 46.2% in 2022.
You can read the Census data by following this link.