A QUARTER of adults in Wales would vote in favour of Welsh independence in a referendum, a YouGov poll has indicated.
The poll found 24 per cent of adults surveyed would opt for Welsh independence, with the majority (52 per cent) voting against leaving the UK.
The poll suggests growing interest in Welsh independence – in a similar poll held in June 2018, YouGov found 19 per cent of respondents wanted Wales to be an independent country, with 65 per cent saying they wanted Wales to remain a part of the UK.
Plaid Cymru AM Delyth Jewell, who supports Welsh independence, said the latest poll showed there was "a clear desire here in Wales to do things differently, to do things for ourselves, to end the chaos and begin the work of rebuilding our nation".
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In this new poll, conducted over the past two weeks with a sample of 1,039 Welsh adults, YouGov also asked how people would vote in a referendum through which an independent Wales could stay in the European Union after the rest of the UK leaves.
Responding to that question, one-third (33 per cent) said they would vote for Welsh independence if it meant Wales staying in the EU.
Forty-eight per cent said they would not vote for Wales to become an independent country in that scenario.
Despite the latest poll suggesting more Welsh people opposed independence than supported it, the results have been heralded by Plaid Cymru politicians as a success.
South East Wales AM Ms Jewell said: “These sensational figures may came as a surprise to some, but they reflect conversations I’ve been having the length and breadth of the south east, with more and more people coming to the conclusion that Wales would do better if the decisions affecting their lives were made here in Wales."
Ms Jewell, who spoke at an independence rally in Merthyr Tydfil last week, said "it really feels like change is coming, and quickly".
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price claimed dissatisfaction with UK politics was encouraging support for an independent Wales.
“Westminster is in turmoil. Boris Johnson’s reckless Tory government and Jeremy Corbyn’s chaotic so-called opposition are wrecking Wales’s future," Mr Price said. “It is no wonder that we are witnessing a surge in support for a New Wales – a nation proudly taking its place as an equal partner on the international stage.”
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