A Decade After Brexit, 60% of Young Britons Would Vote to Rejoin EU, Study Finds

A decade after the Brexit referendum, a significant majority of young Britons now favor rejoining the European Union. A study by the think tank More in Common revealed that 60% of Britons aged 18 to 28 would vote to remain in the EU, with only 9% opposed. In a hypothetical referendum scenario, the pro-EU camp garners 81% of the vote among this age group.

The research, which surveyed 440 young people across the UK, indicates that 50% of Generation Z view Brexit as a failure, while only 16% consider it a success. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, noted that Brexit was the first major political event for many young respondents, leaving them with vivid memories of the campaign and subsequent debates.

Despite this strong support for rejoining the EU, the study suggests that young voters are hesitant to re-engage in the prolonged Brexit debates of their youth. This reluctance could divert attention from issues they prioritize, such as the cost of living, affordable housing, job prospects, and climate change. The findings emerge amidst a broader discussion about the demographic transformation of the UK's electorate.

Since the 2016 referendum, which saw 51.9% vote to leave the EU, over 6 million Britons have died. Older generations, who predominantly voted for Brexit (64% of those over 65), have been disproportionately affected by these demographic changes. Concurrently, approximately 6 million young people who were too young to vote in 2016 have since gained suffrage. This generational turnover has led analysts to believe that the pro-Brexit majority has naturally eroded, creating an anti-Brexit majority of several million voters.

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Although young Britons largely support rejoining the EU, focus group discussions with Gen Z voters suggest they are hesitant about returning to the endless Brexit debates they remember from their youth. This risks distracting from the issues they care most about: the cost of living, affordable housing, jobs and climate change.