A SURVEY of Leave voters who have changed their minds about Brexit has revealed their reasons for the change of heart.
"Bregret” among those who backed Leave in the 2016 referendum hit record highs of around one in five in late 2022 – with one poll conducted in early 2023 showing support for rejoining the EU leading by nine percentage points.
Polling guru Professor John Curtice told The National in December: “Most people have still not changed their minds, but there’s a bit more regret amongst the Leave side.”
READ MORE: Why has the UK public turned against Brexit in record numbers in 2022?
To find out why, YouGov polled some 616 Britains who had voted for Brexit in 2016 but since changed their minds.
The firm found a general sense that things have gotten worse since the EU referendum was the primary factor for the plurality, with 25% of people citing it as their reason for a change of heart.
Almost one in five (19%) said the state of the economy, with rising costs and bills, had led them to U-turn on their Brexit vote.
And one in 10 (11%) said it was because they felt they had been lied to by the Leave campaign, or that the results of Brexit had not been what they were expecting.
Ten per cent of respondents cited the negative impact on trade and business as their reason for changing their minds on Brexit, while 8% answered that it had been badly handled. Another 8% said they missed the benefits EU membership had provided.
Other reasons for a change of heart on Brexit were the Northern Ireland Protocol, immigration not going down, and a shortage of workers.
The YouGov research was conducted from November 24 - December 8, 2022.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel