Opinion poll
Britons lose trust in politicians after Brexit vote
A British flag flies in front of the famous Big Ben clock tower. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
On June 23, 2016, a British referendum decimated the future number of EU member states. A lot has changed on the island since then – including the relationship between citizens and politics.
Seven years after the Brexit referendum, three quarters of Brits have lost confidence in their politicians. That’s according to a poll for the London think tank UK in a Changing Europe, released to mark the anniversary of the referendum today.
75 percent of respondents said: “I have lost confidence in British politicians in recent years.” 74 percent believe that politicians act more in their own interests than in the interests of the general public.
In the referendum on June 23, 2016, the British voted 52 to 48 percent to leave the European Union. This was completed on January 31, 2020. As the survey shows, a majority of 52 percent now believe that Brexit was not a success. Only one in ten sees it differently. Nevertheless, there can be no question of “Bregret” – a neologism of Brexit and regret (regret): Of those who voted for Brexit, only 15 percent regret it.
Almost half of those surveyed (48 percent) would vote for a return to the EU in a referendum today. Only about a third (32 percent) would be in favor of staying out. A majority of people in Great Britain (54 percent) simply don’t want to hear anything more about Brexit.