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.”
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.
