Understanding Scotland
Ipsos Scotland has been conducting the Scottish Public Opinion Monitor since August 2009. The quarterly poll measures public opinion on a range of issues, such as voting intention, satisfaction with party leaders in Scotland and economic optimism. More recently, of course, there has been an increased focus on Scottish independence due to the upcoming referendum in September 2014.
Each quarter, the poll findings are published by our client, The Times, and on our website, and shared through social media. However, we always look for new and innovative ways to disseminate the results as widely as possible. We felt that an infographic would be an attractive and engaging way of displaying the key findings.
When considering the design of the infographic, we wanted something that was distinctly Scottish without reverting to stereotypical ‘tartan and shortbread’ imagery. The backdrop of Edinburgh’s Princes Street, as well as a silhouette of the Scottish Parliament building, represents the modern Scottish society that the poll seeks to explain. After all, the poll’s tagline is ‘Understanding Scotland’.
The charts and graphics used to present the results are simple but effective. It can be clearly seen where public opinion lies with regard to the independence debate, which party has the highest support in the Scottish Parliament and which leaders are achieving the highest levels of satisfaction.
On a lighter note, one colleague remarked that the party leaders’ heads appear to bob around like iChalky, a smartphone app for children – if only we could make them dance as well!
