From the halls of academia…

Brownyn from New Zealand submits this from Wikipedia:

“The pronunciation of the word across the United Kingdom varies. According to one academic study, nearly two thirds of the British population and 99% of the Scottish population pronounce it as /skɒn/, to rhyme with “con” and “John.” The rest pronounce it /skəʊn/, to rhyme with “cone” and “Joan.” British dictionaries usually show the “con” form as the preferred pronunciation, while recognizing that the “cone” form also exists.

The academic who undertook that study must have been pretty hard up for dissertation ideas. But, people have to get their degrees somehow, I guess…