Bermudians will give a resounding "no'' to Independence -- and their opposition to splitting from Britain has mounted, an exclusive Royal Gazette poll reveals.

Sixty-four percent of those planning to vote in the August 15 referendum disagree with severing ties with the motherland.

And just 17 percent are in favour, according to the telephone survey by American market research and consulting firm Urban & Associates.

This compares with 26 percent for and 59 against in a similar survey last year.

Perhaps surprisingly, the tide has turned markedly against Independence in the black community.

Only 26 percent of blacks intending to vote would say "yes'' to going it alone, while 49 percent are opposed, and 25 percent are undecided.

Twelve months ago blacks were split down the middle on the issue.

Meanwhile, most Bermudians seem to be turning a deaf ear to the Opposition Progressive Labour Party's referendum boycott call.

In 1994, 71 percent of registered voters said they would take part in a referendum.

A year later and that figure stands at 69 percent, with 16 percent saying they would not vote.

Other key findings from the poll -- carried out this month -- are that: Seventy-five percent of registered voters intending to vote in the referendum believe the pros and cons of Independence should be explored, compared to 65 percent last year; Just 36 percent of these voters feel they have enough information to make a decision on Independence at this time, compared to 26 percent in 1994; Blacks are more likely than whites to agree Independence should be explored at this time; Blacks are more inclined to be in favour of Independence; Voters 35 to 44 years old are slightly more likely than others to favour Independence, although, once again, just 31 percent of them would say "yes''; and Unlike the 1994 results, men and women voters currently display similar responses.

For the survey, Urban & Associates, which is based in Sharon, Massachusetts, telephoned 338 registered voters who indicated they would take part in the referendum.

The sampling error for the bulk of the study is plus or minus four to six percentage points.

But the margin of error for the detailed breakdown of registered voters is higher.

For, example the sampling error for splits between men and women is plus or minus five to eight percentage points, while that for age segments is plus or minus 14 points.

Director of Urban & Associates Mr. Chuck Lynds told The Royal Gazette : "All survey responses were `weighted' to correspond to the most recent census data for Bermuda, taking into consideration the respondents' area of residence, age, sex and race.

"This process eliminates the potential over-or-under-representation of any of these geographic or demographic segments.'' In 1994, Urban & Associates, which was established in 1974 and has clients throughout North America, the Caribbean and Europe, conducted a similar phone survey with 484 registered voters.

This year's findings will probably make grim reading for Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan, whose Independence dream appears to be falling apart at the seams.

Opposition leader Mr. Frederick Wade may also reflect ruefully on the effect -- or lack of it -- of his boycott call.

The survey was carried out long after Mr. Wade launched his campaign, although before Government published its long-awaited position papers on Independence.

The findings mirror in some respects a 1982 poll, in which 66 percent of those interviewed rejected the notion of Independence -- compared to 55 percent in 1977.

In 1988, a Royal Gazette survey of 500 voters showed a thumping 80 percent of Bermudians against Independence, with a mere nine percent in favour.

As in 1994, the crucial question in this year's poll was: Currently, are you in favour of Independence for Bermuda? While 64 percent answered "no'', and 17 percent "yes'', the ranks of the undecided numbered 19 percent.

The answers showed women were more opposed.

Seventy percent of women dismissed the idea of Independence; 14 percent said "yes''; and 16 percent replied "don't know''.

The comparative figures for men were 58, 20, and 22.

A racial breakdown of the statistics demonstrated blacks were more inclined to back Independence -- although less so than in the past.

In 1994, 40 percent supported cutting links, and an identical number thought otherwise. Twelve months on, and those figures have changed to 26 and 49 respectively.

People of other colours, including white, remain, on the whole, dead set against the prospect of becoming independent.

Eighty-eight percent said "no'' in the poll, while three percent answered "yes''.

Opposition to Independence has grown, reveals poll From Page 1 Voters were also asked: "Do you think that you have enough information available to you to make a decision on Independence at this time?'' Sixty-three percent replied "no'', with only 36 percent feeling they were sufficiently wised up -- despite a series of Government forums on the issue.

In 1994, 72 percent demanded more education, and only 26 percent felt adequately informed.

Top of the list of areas this year in which voters felt they needed more information related to currency, the economy and financial matters.

Twenty-four percent needed more details in this area.

Nineteen percent, meanwhile, called for more details on "every aspect'' of the subject, and 12 percent demanded further education on the Government/political/legal implications.

Other areas of concern, in descending order, included: costs, general information about the future; travel /transportation; the benefits of going it alone; and taxation.

Defence and security, jobs and citizenship, and the question of overseas residents, propped up the list.