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BBC Radio 5 Live Referendums Survey

Survey of British adults about referendums on behalf of BBC Radio 5 Live.

Key Findings

  • A higher proportion of Leave voters than Remain voters say the EU Referendum was the first time they’ve ever voted in an election (9% vs 5%).
  • Around a third of Britons (35%) say that referendums on major decisions relating to Britain’s future should occur more often; though a greater proportion (45%) say that they should happen only rarely.
  • Leave voters are far more likely than Remain voters to say that they think referendums should be used more often (48% vs 18%). A quarter of Remain voters (26%) say they should never be used compared to 5% of Leave voters.
  • One in eight British adults (12%) have fallen out with a friend or family member as a result of the EU Referendum; including one in six younger adults (17% of 18-34 year olds).
  • In general, Leave voters are more positive about the role of referendums in British politics than Remain voters; they more likely to disagree that it is dangerous to ask the public to vote on important decisions (69% vs 41%) and to disagree that is the job of politicians to make decisions about the future of the country and not to use referendums (69% vs 40%).

Date Published: 22nd July 2016

Categories: Media | Politics | Public and communities | Social

Client: BBC Radio 5 Live

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 1,000 British adults by telephone between the 14th and 17th July 2016. Data were weighted to be representative of all GB adults aged 18+. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

  1. BBC-5-Live_Referendums-Survey_July-2016-Tables -0 KB.

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