Birmingham has generally been regarded as the second city of the United Kingdom in terms of populace and GDP while Edinburgh has been promoted as the second city by virtue as the capital of Scotland. Less authoritative claims have been made on behalf of Cardiff and Belfast due to their status as the respective capital cities of Wales and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, a number of opinion polls have been conducted since 2000 and complicate the issue further, with public response amongst the British population showing a slight lean towards Manchester being regarded as the second city.