This document summarizes the results of a survey by Ipsos MORI on public attitudes in Britain following the Brexit referendum. It finds that most leave voters still think Brexit was the right decision, consumer confidence has not collapsed, and views are split on the economic impact. While immigration was a key driver of the leave vote, views are divided on whether Britain should prioritize single market access or controlling EU migration. The public also expresses uncertainty about Britain's negotiating position and whether Brexit will make the country stronger or weaker. Overall, British people remain proud of their country and identity. The document sets up a panel discussion on Britain's path forward after the vote to leave the European Union.
5. 5
Source: Ipsos MORIBase: 1,077 online GB adults aged 18-75 29th– 30th June 2016 (426 leave voters and 548 remain voters)
No sign of ‘Bregret’
As you may know the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Do you
think that was the right decision or the wrong decision for the United Kingdom?
43%
44%
14%
89%
3%
8% 4%
89%
7%
All Leave voters Remain voters
Right decision Wrong decision Don’t know
6. 6
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: c.1,000 British adults each month
No collapse in consumer confidence
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
Jan1997
Jun1997
Nov1997
Apr1998
Sep1998
Feb1999
Jul1999
Dec1999
May2000
Oct2000
Mar2001
Aug2001
Jan2002
Jun2002
Nov2002
Apr2003
Sep2003
Feb2004
Jul2004
Dec2004
May2005
Oct2005
Mar2006
Aug2006
Jan2007
Jun2007
Nov2007
Apr2008
Sep2008
Feb2009
Jul2009
Dec2009
May2010
Oct2010
Mar2011
Aug2011
Jan2012
Jun2012
Nov2012
Apr2013
Sep2013
Feb2014
Jul2014
Dec2014
May2015
Oct2015
Mar2016
Aug2016
Do you think that the general economic condition of the country will improve,
stay the same or get worse over the next 12 months?
7. 7
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: c.1,000 British adults each month
Still split on economic
impact of Brexit
Do you think that the general
economic condition of the
country will improve, stay the
same or get worse over the next
12 months?
- if anything
more optimistic
18%
21%
39%
55%
26%
38%
46%
39%
11%
11%
15%
9%
29%
36%
35%
24%
49%
49%
7%
4%
16%
11%
9%
5%
May ‘16
May ‘16
May ‘16
July ‘16
July ‘16
July ‘16
Britain’s economy
over the next
five years
Britain’s economy
over the next ten
to twenty years
Your own
standard
of living
Better
Makes no
difference Worse Don’t know
8. 8
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: c.1,000 British adults each month
Most do not expect a
change in their
Looking ahead six months from
now, do you expect your
financial situation to be much
stronger, somewhat stronger,
about the same, somewhat
weaker, or much weaker than it
is now?
personal financial
situation over the
next 6 months
About the same
Stronger
Weaker
57%
18%
24%
9. 9
Source: Ipsos MORIBase: 1,077 online GB adults aged 18-75 29th– 30th June 2016 (426 leave voters and 548 remain voters)
Not very confident in our negotiators getting
Very confident Fairly confident Not very confident Not at all confident Don’t know
a good deal
3%
9%
6%
15%
36%
24%
41%
32%
35%
35%
14%
24%
6%
9%
11%
Remain voters
Leave voters
All
10. 10
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: 1,257 British adults 18+, 11th – 14th June 2016
Immigration trumped
the economy before
Looking ahead to the
Referendum on Britain’s
membership of the European
Union on June 23rd, which, if
any, issues do you think will be
very important to you in helping
you decide which way to vote?
And which of these issues, if any,
that you mentioned is the most
important to you in helping you
decide which way to vote?
23 June…..
11
7
5
6
7
8
11
12
28
33
Don’t know
Nothing/none
The ability to travel in the
European Union
Britain’s ability to trade with
countries in the European Union
The cost of EU immigration on
Britain’s welfare system
The impact on British jobs
Impact on public
services/housing
Britain’s ability to make
its own laws
The impact on Britain’s economy
The number of immigrants coming
into Britain
Jun-16
Unprompted
11. 11
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: 1,021 British adults 18+, 9th – 11th July 2016
Impact of Brexit on immigration numbers
And now that Britain has voted to leave the EU, to what extent do you think the
number of … coming to the UK will be higher or lower than if Britain had voted to
remain, or will it make no difference?
5%
4%
9%
3%
51%
41%
17%
32%
13%
17%
5%
3%
Immigrants from countries
outside the EU
EU immigrants
A lot higher A little higher
It will make no
difference A little lower A lot lower Don’t know
12. 12
Source: Ipsos MORIBase: 1,077 online GB adults aged 18-75 29th– 30th June 2016 (426 leave voters and 548 remain voters)
Split on single market v free movement with EU
Britain should continue to allow European
Union citizens to come and live and work
in Britain in return for access to the EU
single market
Don’t know
Britain should stop European Union citizens coming to
live and work in Britain with new immigration rules even
if that restricted Britain’s access to the EU single market
67%
18%
42%
17%
16%
20%
16%
66%
38%
Remain voters
Leave voters
All
13. 13
Source: Ipsos MORI Political MonitorBase: 1,026 British adults 18+, 9th – 11th July 2016
Divided over Brexit’s
impact – except
Now that Britain has voted to
leave the EU, to what extent do
you think it will be better or
worse for each of following, or
will it make no difference?
on sovereignty
Better
Makes no
difference Worse Don’t know
59%
59%
19%
31%
29%
32%
32%
32%
15%
16%
32%
24%
31%
33%
34%
27%
20%
21%
43%
42%
34%
31%
26%
36%
7%
4%
7%
4%
8%
5%
8%
5%
May ‘16
May ‘16
May ‘16
July ‘16
July ‘16
July ‘16
May ‘16
July ‘16
Britain’s public services
Britain’s national
security
Britain’s influence in
the world
Britain’s ability to make
decisions in its own best
interests
14. 14
Not just driven by economy/inequality,
backlash against too-fast cultural
change. Strong focus on immigration in
US and UK…
15. 15
Patriotic nostalgia
everywhere
To what extent do you agree or
disagree…?
I would like … to be the way it used to
be
69%
62%
60%
57%
56%
56%
54%
53%
51%
50%
50%
46%
45%
45%
42%
41%
41%
35%
28%
28%
22%
21%
27%
34%
34%
36%
29%
34%
33%
44%
33%
43%
44%
38%
47%
46%
46%
45%
52%
67%
63%
73%
US
Argentina
India
Italy
France
Australia
Belgium
GB
Turkey
Canada
S Africa
Total
Russia
Brazil
Spain
Japan
Poland
Germany
S Korea
Sweden
China
Base: 16,039 adults across 20 countries (1,000 GB),
online,
The Global Trends Survey
Agree Disagree
US
18. 18
In EU, Swedes
most worried,
How does the UK's decision to leave the
European Union make you feel, if
at all…
more worried about the future, more
hopeful about the future or neither?
French the least
53%
53%
51%
49%
46%
45%
42%
42%
31%
51%
47%
36%
35%
32%
31%
10%
13%
32%
6%
14%
10%
23%
9%
13%
13%
14%
6%
8%
33%
14%
19%
29%
34%
15%
42%
37%
44%
32%
49%
45%
56%
36%
47%
56%
32%
54%
50%
61%
Sweden
Great Britain
Hungary
Poland
Belgium
Italy
Spain
Germany
France
South Africa
Japan
Canada
India
Australia
US
Russia
European Union countries
Countries outside of the European Union
More worried about
the future
More hopeful about
the future Neither
Source: Ipsos MORI
Political Monitor
Base: 12,525 adults aged 16-64 across Australia, Belgium, Canada, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South
Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States, July 2016
19. 19
Germans and Spanish
most likely to
Following on from the UK's vote to
leave the European Union, do you think
the UK will be stronger or weaker?
think Brexit will
64%
64%
60%
57%
50%
49%
47%
44%
41%
44%
43%
40%
38%
36%
32%
17%
13%
14%
14%
21%
25%
35%
25%
21%
34%
15%
10%
30%
23%
44%
33%
47%
23%
22%
26%
23%
25%
16%
27%
35%
25%
41%
47%
30%
39%
20%
36%
37%
Germany
Spain
Belgium
Sweden
Poland
Great Britain
Hungary
France
Italy
Canada
Japan
South Africa
Australia
India
US
Russia
European Union countries
Countries outside of the European Union
Weaker Stronger Don’t know
Source: Ipsos Global
@dvisor
Base: 12,525 adults aged 16-64 across Australia, Belgium, Canada, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South
Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States, July 2016
weaken Britain
20. 20
Source: Ipsos Global @dvisor
Base: 12,525 adults aged 16-64 across Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India,
Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States, July 2016
Britons think they should get a favourable deal –
Do you agree or disagree The European Union should offer favourable terms to Britain in
negotiations about their future relationship to reduce the negative impact on the economy overall
but French and Belgians want us to be punished!
56
36
31 28 26 26 25
20 19
52 51
44 43
37
33
1416
23 20 23
30 28 27
34
39
25
40
21 19 16 16 19
GB Hungary Poland Sweden Spain Italy Germany Belgium France South Africa India US Russia Australia Canada Japan
Countries outside of the European UnionEuropean Union countries
Agree Disagree
22. 22
Base: 1,052 British Citizens aged 16-75 across the UK. Interviews were conducted online, from 26th-29th July 2016
What makes us proudest?
Which two or three of the following, if any would you say makes you most proud
to be British? Please select up to 3 options.
50%
43%
31%
26% 25% 24%
14% 11% 11%
6% 4% 5% 3%
The
NHS
Our
History
The
Royal
Family
Our
system
of
democracy
Our
culture
and arts
British
army /
armed
forces
Having a
free press/
media
The BBC Position
in the
world
British
sports
teams
British
business
None Don't
know
23. 23
Base: 1,052 British Citizens aged 16-75 in GB. Interviews were
conducted online, from 26th-29th July 2016
What is best
From this list, please tell me
which two or three, if any of
these do you think are the best
characteristics of British people
as a whole?
6%
7%
13%
19%
24%
25%
26%
27%
40%
47%
Don't know
None
Keep to themselves
Law abiding
Hardworking
Friendly
Patriotism
Tolerant
Polite/Good Manners
Good sense of humour
about us?
24. 24
Base: 1,052 British Citizens aged 16-75 in GB.
Interviews were conducted online, from 26th-29th July
2016
And what’s worst?
From this list, please tell me
which two or three, if any of
these do you think are the worst
characteristics of British people
as a whole?
5%
7%
7%
14%
14%
14%
17%
18%
19%
22%
27%
37%
42%Drink too much
Ignorant of other cultures
Complain too much
Intolerant to other sections of society
Lazy
Bad eating habits
Too pessimistic
Bad teeth
Too nationalistic
Rude
Unfriendly
None
Don’t know
25. 25
Base: 1,052 British Citizens aged 16-75 in GB.
Interviews were conducted online, from 26th-29th July
2016
Still proud to be British
rather than
Do you agree or disagree with
the statement, “I would rather
be a citizen of Britain than of any
country on earth?”
anything else!
31%
29%
23%
8%
5% 4%
Strongly agree
Tend to agree
Neither agree nor
disagree
Tend to agree
Strongly disagree
I am not British
Don’t know