Henry John Burnett, the last man hanged in Scotland, with an unknown woman

Since the hangman tied his last noose 56 years ago Scotland has taken a more progressive approach to justice.

But while liberal experts trumpet our politicians’ embrace of rehabilitation, it appears that many Scots harbour more old-fashioned attitudes to crime and punishment.

A YouGov poll of 1,059 Scots for The Times has found that 41 per cent of the population — 1.8 million people — would reintroduce the death penalty for murderers. Those who continue to oppose capital punishment polled only slightly higher at 44 per cent, with 15 per cent unsure.

Those who voted Leave in the 2016 EU referendum (65 per cent) and older people (54 per cent) were most likely to back state executions.

Voters who backed Yes in the 2014 Scottish