The race between the two parties most likely to win the battle for Holyrood could not be closer, according to a poll conducted for STV.
A survey of 1028 adults showed that 38% of those who were committed to voting on May 5 would use their constituency vote for Scottish Labour if the election were to take place tomorrow. The SNP, meanwhile, trailed by a single point, with 37% saying they would use their vote to support Alex Salmond’s party.
The Scottish Conservatives came third in the poll, with 15%, while 7% would vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Other parties accounted for the remaining 3% of those polled.
The results were even closer when the regional vote is considered, with the SNP and Labour each gaining the support of 35% of those who said they would definitely be voting.
The Conservatives again came third, with 14%, while the Lib Dems gained 8% and Scottish Green Party came fifth with 5%. Again, other parties received 3% of support from those taking part.
STV's Political Editor Bernard Ponsonby said: “Labour will be pleased that their vote appears to be holding up well. The SNP will be even more pleased because they are continuing to close the gap.
“For the Tories it's a relief that they appear to be doing okay - not advancing but okay. It's a disaster for the Liberal Democrats who must be seriously worried because most polls are predicting disaster.
“Good news for the Greens who are registering on the list. But a word of warning. There are still a lot of voters undecided, and of course intentions can change as the campaign gets underway.”
The survey, by researchers from Edinburgh-based TSN-BRMB, included voters from 55 constituencies, and was weighted to match population profile estimates in order to ensure it was representative of Scotland’s adult population.
