Brexit voters: Who has changed their mind?

We analyse which demographic groups in the UK were more likely to change their views on Brexit following the 2016 referendum on EU membership. Drawing on a large individual-level dataset of over 12,000 respondents, we find that women and middle-aged individuals were significantly more likely to shift towards a negative view of Brexit during the UK–EU negotiation period (2017 to 2019). Our analysis reveals that women and middle-age individuals were more likely to develop increasingly negative views of Brexit over time, while older individuals were more likely to report more favourable views. We also find that individuals with higher level of education were less likely to alter their views, maintaining consistent opinions over time. Importantly, we find no evidence that pre-referendum exposure to austerity policies influenced the likelihood of opinion change.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Rationality and Society
Published
2025-06-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631251350032
Primary Topic
Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Brexit voters: Who has changed their mind?

Sofia Izquierdo Sanchez, Alper Kara
Rationality and Society
Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
article

Brexit voters: Who has changed their mind?

Sofia Izquierdo Sanchez, Alper Kara
article en

Abstract

We analyse which demographic groups in the UK were more likely to change their views on Brexit following the 2016 referendum on EU membership. Drawing on a large individual-level dataset of over 12,000 respondents, we find that women and middle-aged individuals were significantly more likely to shift towards a negative view of Brexit during the UK–EU negotiation period (2017 to 2019). Our analysis reveals that women and middle-age individuals were more likely to develop increasingly negative views of Brexit over time, while older individuals were more likely to report more favourable views. We also find that individuals with higher level of education were less likely to alter their views, maintaining consistent opinions over time. Importantly, we find no evidence that pre-referendum exposure to austerity policies influenced the likelihood of opinion change.

Rationality and Society
University of Manchester (GB), Brunel University of London (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 83%
Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.