Support for the SNP has increased since the party’s landslide general election victory in Scotland, according to a poll.
The TNS poll of 1,031 people found that 60% of those who expressed a party preference planned to vote for the SNP in next year’s Scottish Parliament constituency vote.
That compares to the party’s 45% of constituency votes in 2011 and the 50% of Scottish votes it won in May to secure an unprecedented 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.
In contrast, Labour has sunk from 32% in the constituency section of the 2011 election to just 19% in the poll, which questioned those aged 16 and over.
The research puts the Conservatives on 15% and the Liberal Democrats at 3%, with the remaining votes split between the other parties.
Asked about the list section of the vote, which elects additional MSPs for eight regions, half of committed voters said they would back the SNP, with support for Labour again at 19% and the Conservatives on 14%.
A total of 10% said they would support the Greens, the Liberal Democrats were on 5% and Ukip 2%.
The research also found that almost half of respondents (49%) would vote to stay in the EU in the forthcoming in/out referendum on UK membership, compared to 19% who would vote to leave and 26% who were undecided.
Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, said: “Clearly there is a long way to go until the Scottish Parliament elections, so it is too early to tell whether the rise in support for the SNP represents a continuing trend or whether it reflects a ‘honeymoon’ period with the party’s new Westminster MPs.
“The strong support for continuing EU membership may reflect both this factor and the strong advocacy by Nicola Sturgeon, who remains a popular figure. The case for the EU has yet to be tested in the full-blown political campaign that will precede the referendum.”
Almost half (43%) of those interviewed said they thought the SNP’s success in the UK general election made Scottish independence more likely, while 39% said it made no difference.