• Salmond conceded defeat, saying "we know it is a majority for the No campaign," and called on Scots to accept the results of the vote. "This has been a triumph for the democratic process and for participation in politics," he said, insisting that London-based politicians were now expected to honor their promises of giving more powers to Scotland.
  • The No campaign won the capital city, Edinburgh, by a margin of 61 per cent to 38 per cent and triumphed by 59 per cent to 41 per cent in Salmond's home city of Aberdeen. The Yes campaign won Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city, but it was not enough.
  • Salmond had argued that Scots could go it alone because of its extensive oil reserves and high levels of ingenuity and education. He said Scotland would flourish on its own, free of interference from any London-based government.
Many saw it as a "heads versus hearts" campaign, with cautious older Scots concluding that independence would be too risky financially, while younger ones were enamored with the idea of building their own country.