Tuesday, February 2, 2016

EU referendum: Who in Britain wants to leave, and who wants to remain?

While the predictable right-left divide on the European Union remains, differences across geography and class make for a complex referendum campaign

Those living in Scotland, with a university education or aged below 30 are most likely to want to stay in the EU, according to new polling data released by YouGov.
The UK's overall voting intentions could not be closer - with a 51-49 split in favour of the European Union - but splits between different groups of voters could hold the clue to the referendum's result.
While there seems to be no gender gap at all, the issue splits the population down age, political leanings and education.
YouGov says that its research shows that "one of the biggest challenges facing the pro-EU camp will be to enthuse the under 30s, who are mostly pro-membership but traditionally least likely to vote at all, while the ‘leave’ camp needs to maximise turnout among Brexit-inclined working-class voters".
But what else does it indicate?

Scotland is the most pro-EU region in the UK

The survey shows that Scotland is the region most in favour of staying in the EU, with 60 per cent of respondents wishing to remain.
The least positive region about EU membership is East Anglia where 53 per cent want to leave.
The figures could be crucial in the event of a “Brexit” vote as Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP First Minister, has previously stated that demand for a second independence referendum could be "unstoppable" if taken out of the EU against its will.
London was the second most enthusiastic region for EU membership with a 55-45 per cent split.
Overall six UK regions back continued EU membership compared to five where a majority of voters wish to leave.

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