Portrait of Brexit Britain: A Divided Nation - Bloomberg

Portrait of Brexit Britain: A Divided Nation
Makes a Journey Into the Unknown
March 28, 2018
A year before Britain is supposed to formally break away from its nearest neighbors in continental Europe, divisions have only hardened over going it alone.

The decision to leave the European Union has dominated the national conversation since a referendum in June 2016. Differences spanning generations, backgrounds, economics and geography have become more entrenched. Bloomberg reporters visited nine locations to talk Brexit, interviewing 133 people in late February for this chronicle of the country’s transition.

The share of people with a higher education refers to a level 4 qualification or above as defined in the Office for National Statistics’ NOMIS database.
Some people wished Brexit would happen faster. Some didn’t want it, but will get on with it anyway. Others were waiting for a chance to stop it from happening at all. And there were those who said Britain is being upended—for better or for worse—by a decision they shouldn’t have had to make.

Two things united all of them before the formal departure date of March 29, 2019: a sense of frustration and that the repercussions will be felt in society long after the split.

Seven of the places were selected because they most reflected the national divide: In the referendum, 52 percent of people voted to leave the EU and 48 percent to remain. To balance it, reporters also visited a town where voters overwhelmingly backed Brexit and one that ranks as the country’s most pro-European city.

How they would

People who didn't vote would most likely vote remain today

Asked whether they’d like a second referendum before Britain sets off on its solitary journey, just below half of the people Bloomberg interviewed said yes. The biggest worries for people on both sides of the argument? The size of the divorce bill, getting a fair deal from the EU and the prospect of rising food prices and living costs.

While the vast majority was sticking firm to how they voted, 10 people who chose to leave the EU now either wanted to stay or weren’t sure. Three people who didn’t vote would now back Brexit. Just one EU supporter would switch to leave.