As Scottish secession talk is winding down in the aftermath of the failed attempt at independence from the United Kingdom, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday in the U.S. shows the desire to secede among Americans may be gaining momentum.
Nearly a quarter of Americans polled (23.9%) between Aug. 23 and Sept. 16 said they strongly supported or tended to support the idea of their state breaking away, according to Reuters. "53.3 percent of the 8,952 respondents strongly opposed or tended to oppose the notion."
Bipartisan support to cut ties with Washington was found across all regions of the U.S., showed the poll, with Republicans and residents of rural Western states viewing secession more favorably than Democrats and Northeasterners. At 29.7 percent, Republicans were slightly more open to the idea, compared to 21 percent of Democrats.
Secession was the most popular in the Southwest, where 34.1 percent of respondents showed support. New England proved to be the least willing to back out of the nation, with just 17.4 voting in favor.
Central issues driving the secessionist attitude range from President Obama's actions on healthcare reform and the looming war with ISIS, to a general dissatisfaction with persistent partisan gridlock so often found in Washington, said Reuters.
"Falling public approval of the Obama administration, attention to the Scottish vote and the success of activists who accuse the U.S. government of overstepping its authority - such as the self-proclaimed militia members who flocked to Nevada's Bundy ranch earlier this year during a standoff over grazing rights - is driving up interest in secession," reported Reuters.
Mordecai Lee, professor of governmental affairs at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and student of secessionist movements, said secessionist talks seemed to have heated up since the election of Obama.
One longstanding attempt to secede, dating back to the 1940s, exists in the form the proposed State of Jefferson, which is mostly comprised of rural areas in southern Oregon and northern California, and claims Yreka, Calif. as the proposed capital.
In 2013, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors, where Yreka is located, voted 4-1 in favor of withdrawing from California to form Jefferson. As of July 2014, the proposal had garnered support from five additional surrounding county supervisor boards, who hope to get support from six more counties.
