Key facts
- 60% of Britons aged 18-28 would vote to rejoin the EU if given the chance.
- 81% of likely voters in this age group would support rejoining the bloc.
- 50% of Gen Z Britons view Brexit as a failure, compared to 16% who see it as a success.
- 62% of young Britons believe a referendum on rejoining the EU should be held within five years.
New polling reveals a significant shift in sentiment among young Britons regarding the UK's departure from the European Union. According to a study by the thinktank More in Common, 60% of individuals aged 18 to 28 would vote to rejoin the EU if given the opportunity. This demographic, largely excluded from the 2016 EU referendum due to their age, expresses deep dissatisfaction with the outcomes of Brexit.
When focusing solely on those likely to vote in a hypothetical second referendum, the support for rejoining the bloc surges to 81%, with only 19% favoring remaining outside the EU. The survey of 440 young people across Britain indicates that 50% categorize Brexit as a failure, while just 16% view it as a success, and 34% remain undecided. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, noted that for many in Gen Z, the Brexit referendum was a formative political event they experienced without the ability to vote.
While young Britons largely support rejoining in principle, focus group discussions suggest a hesitancy towards revisiting the prolonged Brexit debates of the past, which they fear could distract from pressing issues like the cost of living, housing, jobs, and climate change. Hostility towards Brexit is most pronounced among the youngest adults (18-21), with 53% deeming it a failure. This sentiment slightly softens among older Gen Zers (25-28), but remains negative at 48% failure to 20% success.
The findings arrive as demographic shifts reshape the UK electorate. The narrow 2016 Leave victory was heavily supported by older generations. However, since the referendum, over six million Britons have died, disproportionately affecting the Leave coalition due to older demographics' voting patterns. Concurrently, approximately six million young people have become eligible to vote. Analysts suggest this generational turnover has effectively erased the pro-Brexit majority, creating an "anti-Brexit" majority among living voters.