The United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the European Union has caused three years of economic uncertainty and forced the resignations of two Prime Ministers. Still, just one in 10 Britons who voted in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership in the E.U. say they regret their vote choice, with nearly equal numbers of those who voted Leave (12%) and Remain (9%) expressing regrets.
But, more than a quarter of Britons of voting age did not vote in the referendum, and a significant minority of them (42%) regret it. If the same vote were held today, exactly half (50%) of these non-voters say they would vote Remain and just 16% say they would vote Leave, a 34 point margin that would tip the scales in favor of Remain (another 31% say they still would not vote).
Overall, if the referendum were held today, 48% of Britons say they would vote to Remain in the E.U., while 37% say they would vote to Leave. Aside from how they would vote, 43% of Britons believe the U.K. is better off as a member of the E.U., while 34% believe it is better off not as a member and 21% believe it’s impossible to say.
When asked to describe their feelings about Brexit in one word, few people have anything positive to say. “Shambles,” “disaster,” “frustration,” “disappointed,” “betrayed,” and “catastrophic” are some of the most-frequently mentioned words.
Brexit has been a constant source of stress for those in the U.K. over the past three years. In this latest survey, 37% of Britons say the topic of European Union membership is the single most important issue facing the country at the present time. It holds as the top priority among those affiliated with every single party, as well as those with no partisan identity.
Majorities of Britons say that the economic situation has gotten worse in the past 12 months (66%) and that they are concerned about the impact Brexit will have on the country (69%).
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below:
Question text:
As far as you’re concerned, what is the single most important issue facing the country at the present time?
In general, how much interest do you have in what is going on in politics?
How do you think the general economic situation has changed over the last 12 months? Has it:
Now thinking about the upcoming deadline for Britain to end its membership in the European Union, how much interest do you generally have in Brexit?
How concerned are you about the impact Brexit will have on the country?
Overall, do you now think the United Kingdom is better off as a member of the European Union, better off not as a member of the European Union, or is it not possible to say?
Thinking back to the referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union in June 2016, did you:
How much, if at all, do you regret your vote choice in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union ?
If the same referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union were being held today, how would you vote?
How much do you identify as European:
How much do you identify as British:
What is your country of birth?
How would you describe your national identity? (Select all that apply.)
Generally speaking and regardless of how you might vote in the next election, do you think of yourself as Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat or another party?
*voters
