40% of Scots think English tourists should quarantine before entering country, survey finds

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wears a face mask during her visit to the field hospital the NHS Louisa Jordan(Photo by ANDREW MILLIGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) - Credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Four in ten Scots believe tourists from England should have to quarantine when travelling to their country, a new poll has found.

The YouGov poll, which asked 1,134 Scots their view on tourists entering from other countries without needing to quarantine, reported 47% of those quizzed support English tourists isolating upon entry.

Research also revealed significant discrepancy along political lines when Scots were asked whether they support or oppose allowing tourists into the country.

More than half (54%) of SNP voters surveyed said they do not want English tourists to cross the border without quarantining, compared to 37% of Scottish Labour voters and 19% of those who voted for the Scottish Conservatives at the 2019 election.

Just over a third (34%) of SNP voters support the current system of allowing English tourists in without requiring them to quarantine as opposed to 49% of Labour voters and 65% of Tory voters.

Independence-supporting Yes voters from 2014 oppose letting in English tourists by 52% to 36% while No voters support allowing English tourists into Scotland by 55% to 30%.

The poll was carried out a week after Scottish independence campaigners staged a protest at the border calling for people from England to be banned from entering or to impose a mandatory quarantine period.

Scots are less likely to object to visitors from other parts of the UK, with 29% opposed to people coming from Wales and 28% of respondents wanting to block tourists from Northern Ireland. In contrast, 56% support allowing unrestricted access to Scotland from the two countries.

Support for tourists from the Republic of Ireland also outweighs opposition, by 53% to 31%.

Visitors from further afield are less welcome, the survey suggests, with more opposition than support for allowing unrestricted travel for Danish, Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and American tourists.

Just 10% support allowing American tourists into Scotland without having to quarantine, contrasted with 81% against the idea.

Welsh people are slightly more willing than Scots to accept travellers from the rest of the British Isles, with 37% wanting English tourists to stay away compared to 50% who would welcome them.

The survey also looked at whether Scots and Welsh people would be willing to cross any borders – internal and international – for a summer holiday this year.

Few Scots would consider going to England (36%) or Wales (32%) on holiday this year.

Welsh people are more willing to cross nearby borders: 49% are open to going to England and 43% might travel up to Scotland. Willingness to travel further afield plummets by comparison. Among both national groups, only 10% and 12% respectively would be willing to visit any of the countries in continental Europe that YouGov asked about.