In the 1995 referendum, unlike the one in 1980, if the 331,662 people who did not vote are added to the OUI total, the separatists would have won by a large margin. The people who did not vote in the 1995 Referendum were probably not significantly different from those who did. Some voters certainly died in the days preceding the vote. Others may have had a relative die and not had the emotional or physical energy to go to the polls. Some may have been very sick, or had a child in need of some unanticipated help.
Life is complex and unexpected personal emergencies sometimes arise.
There was an American Supreme Court Justice who once said that he would rather have a Justice opposed to him than a sick Justice sitting on a case. The people who were ill or had personal problems showed good judgment by not going to vote. An issue as important as secession deserves a voter's complete attention. Those who were unable to give this important question the time and attention it deserved were correct to not vote and leave the decision to others. Then, some of the non-voters undoubtedly didn't care or thought it didn't make any difference which way the vote went.