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Sunday Mirror Post Referendum Poll

Poll for the Sunday Mirror measuring reaction to the EU referendum poll

A new poll by ComRes for the Sunday Mirror reveals that, following the referendum result, even if the EU offered greater reforms to Britain’s member ship of the European Union, the public is more likely to think that the existing result should stand and Britain should leave (50%), than think a second referendum should be held (39%).

Other results from the poll show:

  • Reported drivers of voting at the referendum vary considerably between those voting Leave and Remain.
    • The economy (67%) is cited as the most important for Remain voters.
    • By contrast, the ability of Britain to make its own laws is cited by Leave voters as the most important issue when deciding which way to vote (53%), ahead of immigration (34%).
  • Half (48%) of British adults say that they are happy with the result, with two in five (43%) saying they are unhappy with the outcome.
  • Nearly half of Britons say they are less confident about Britain’s future today than they were this time last week (45%), while they are also more likely to say that the referendum result has changed Britain’s standing in the world for the worse, than say it has changed it for the better (41% vs. 33%).

Next Prime Minister and resignations:

  • Boris Johnson is the preferred successor to David Cameron as Prime Minister among both Conservative voters (28%) and the public as a whole (24%).
  • The majority of Britons (57%) say that George Osborne should resign on the back of the referendum result. Labour voters are slightly more likely to say that Jeremy Corbyn should stay on (49%) than say he should resign (40%).

Next General Election:

  • Britons are most likely to think that there should a General Election as soon as the new Prime Minister is in place in the autumn – although only a third of the public hold this view (33%). Nearly as many (27%) say that the General Election should be held in 2020, as currently planned.

Q: When casting your vote, what the most important issue in your decision? The impact on…

 

GB adults Leave voters Remain voters
The economy 34% 3% 67%
The ability of Britain to make its own laws 29% 53% 2%
Immigration 20% 34% 4%
National security 4% 1% 7%
The NHS 4% 3% 4%
Other 9% 5% 13%
Don’t know 2% 1% 3%

 Base: GB adults who voted (n=1,020)

  • Reflecting voting patterns, the economy is cited by the youngest voters (47% of those aged 18-24) and those living in London (42%) as the most important issue when deciding which way to vote, with the ability of Britain to make its own laws (40%) cited by those aged 65+ as the most important factor when deciding which way to vote.

Q: How happy or unhappy are you with the result of the EU referendum?

GB adults Leave voters Remain voters
Net: Happy 48% 92% 4%
Net: Unhappy 43% 1% 88%
Very happy 32% 63% 2%
Fairly happy 16% 29% 2%
Indifferent 7% 5% 7%
Fairly unhappy 11% 1% 21%
Very unhappy 32% * 67%
Don’t know 2% 2% 1%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

  • Perhaps unsurprisingly, nine in ten (92%) Leave voters say that they are happy with the result of the referendum, with a similar proportion of Remain voters (88%) saying they are unhappy with the result.
  • The proportion of Remain voters who say that they are very unhappy with the result of the EU referendum is slightly higher than the proportion of Leave voters who say that they are very happy with this result (67% vs. 63%).

Q: Are you more or less confident about Britain’s future today than you were this time last week?

%
Net: More confident 38%
Net: Less confident 45%
Much more confident now 18%
Somewhat more confident now 20%
Neither more nor less confident 15%
Somewhat less confident now 13%
Much less confident now 31%
Don’t know 2%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

 

  • Around a third (31%) of Britons say that they are much less confident about Britain’s future today than they were this time last week – with just one in five (18%) saying they are much more confident now.
    • The youngest Brits (those aged 18-24) are significantly more likely than any other age group to say that they are less confident in Britain’s future today than they were this time last week (65% vs. 34% of those aged 65+).
  • Three quarters (73%) of Leave voters say that they are more confident about Britain’s future today than they were this time last week; while around nine in ten (88%) Remain voters saying they feel less confident.

Q: Do you think the referendum result has changed Britain’s standing in the world for the better, worse or has it made no difference?

 

GB adults Leave voters Remain voters
Changed Britain’s standing in the world for the better 33% 63% 3%
Changed Britain’s standing in the world for the worse 41% 3% 83%
Made no difference 15% 22% 6%
Don’t know 11% 12% 7%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

  • Remain voters (83%) are more likely to say that the referendum result has changed Britain’s standing in the world for the worse, than Leave voters are to say that it’s changed Britain’s standing in the world for the better (63%).
  • The youngest Brits (18-24) are significantly more likely than other age groups to say that the referendum has changed Britain’s standing in the world for the worse (59% vs. 30% of those aged 65+).

Q: If the EU offered the UK further reforms on the EU than were previously made, what do you think should happen? 

GB adults Remain voters Leave voters
The result of the existing referendum should be honoured and Britain should leave the EU 50% 22% 79%
There should be another referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU under the new terms offered 39% 66% 14%
Don’t know 11% 13% 7%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

 

  • More than three quarters of Leave voters (79%) think that the results of the referendum should be honoured, even if the EU comes back with more consessions. 14% think there should be another referendum in such an instance.
  • Nearly a quarter (24%) of Remain voters think that the existing referendum should be honoured and Britain should leave the EU, even if the European Union comes back with new terms. 

Q: Following the referendum result, David Cameron has said he will resign as Prime Minister. Who do you think should replace him as Prime Minister?

GB adults Con voters
Boris Johnson 24% 28%
Theresa May 13% 18%
Michael Gove 6% 8%
George Osborne 4% 7%
Priti Patel 2% 1%
Andrea Leadsom 2% 1%
Stephen Crabb 1% 2%
Nicky Morgan 1% 1%
None of these 20% 11%
Don’t know 27% 24%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

  • Theresa May comes in second among both groups (Conservatives: 18%, Public: 13%).

Q: Following the EU referendum, do you think that each of the following should resign or stay on in their position?

Resign Stay on Don’t know
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn 50% 32% 18%
Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne 57% 26% 17%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

  • Conservative voters are slightly more likely to say that George Osborne should resign (47%) than stay on (39%).
  • Labour voters on the other hand are slightly more likely to say that Jeremy Corbyn should stay on (49%) than resign (40%).

Q: When do you think the next General Election should take place?

%
As soon as the new Prime Minister is in place in the autumn 33%
Early next year, a few months after the new Prime Minister has settled in 23%
In a few years’ time (2018 or 2019) 9%
In 2020, as currently planned 27%
Don’t know 7%

Base: GB adults (n=1,069).

  • Half of Labour voters (50%) think that a General Election should be held as the new Prime Minister is in place in the autumn. Conservative voters are most likely to say it should be held in 2020 as currently planned (45%).

Date Published: 25th June 2016

Categories: Elections | EU Referendum | GB | Politics | Public and communities

Client: Sunday Mirror

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 1,069 British adults aged 18+ online on the 24th June 2016. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK adults aged 18+. ComRes sets quotas during fieldwork and weights the raw data on the following demographic information: age, gender and government office region. Additionally the data is weighted by social grade and by past vote recall to the EU referendum. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

  1. Sunday-Mirror_Brexit-Survey_June-2016 0.02 MB.

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