User blog comment:Spritydove/Deeper Thought into the Civil War/@comment-2086180-20120615192126

I found a few reasons for not joining the stormcloaks.

1) Skyrim and the rest of the Empire only stand a chance against the Dominion united, no matter how tough the Nords think they are, if the Empire lost the first war, what chance does a single province have?

2) Skyrim benefits economically from being part of the empire, i.e more trade links.

3) Massive racists.

4) I don't think Ulfric has a rightful claim to the throne.

5) Ulfric used to aid the Thalmor, until the Markarth Incident. From Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloak : "After the war (first war with the Dominion), contact was established and he has proven his worth as an asset. The so-called Markarth Incident was particularly valuable from the point of view of our strategic goals in Skyrim, although it resulted in Ulfric becoming generally uncooperative to direct contact."