Three in five Gen Z Britons would vote to rejoin the European Union if given the opportunity, according to exclusive polling by the thinktank More in Common shared with the Guardian. The survey of 440 young people aged 18 to 28 reveals deep dissatisfaction with Brexit, with 50% categorising it as a failure and only 16% viewing it as a success.
Landslide Support Among Likely Voters
When filtering results to focus on those likely to cast a ballot in a hypothetical second referendum, the pro-EU Remain/Rejoin camp captures 81% of the vote, against just 19% for remaining outside the bloc. Overall, 60% of all respondents would vote to rejoin, while only 9% would vote to stay out.
The polling arrives as the UK marks 10 years since the Brexit referendum. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, said: “For many gen Z Britons, the Brexit referendum was formative to their political ‘coming of age’. In focus groups, many say Brexit was the first political event they were vividly aware of – too young to vote, but with distinct memories of that campaign and the years of debate that followed.”
Age-Based Variations in Hostility
Hostility toward Brexit is strongest among the youngest adults. Among those aged 18 to 21 – who were children aged six to nine in 2016 – 53% declare Brexit a failure, while only 12% see it as a success. This sentiment softens slightly among older Gen Zers aged 25 to 28, though the outlook remains negative at 48% failure to 20% success.
Young Britons are divided on whether Brexit was flawed conceptually or mishandled by politicians. About 37% believe Brexit could have worked well but was “ruined by politicians,” while 29% argue the project was “never going to work” from the start. Only 11% maintain that Brexit has worked well so far, and 23% expressed no opinion.
Demographic Shifts in the Electorate
The narrow 2016 referendum result – won by Leave with 51.9% to Remain’s 48.1% – was heavily carried by older generations. However, time has altered voter rolls significantly. According to calculations based on Office for National Statistics data published by the Financial Times, roughly 15% of original Leave voters have died, compared with 10% of Remain voters. Meanwhile, about 6 million young people who were ineligible in 2016 have aged into the electorate.
Pollster Peter Kellner has argued that the pro-Brexit majority in 2016 has gone. Writing on Substack, he noted that more than 6 million Britons have died since the 2016 referendum, and because older demographics voted overwhelmingly to leave – 64% of those over 65 voted to leave – mortality has disproportionately affected the Leave coalition.
Appetite for a New Referendum
Three in five young Britons – 62% – said there should be a referendum on rejoining the EU within the next five years. Only 11% of under-29s oppose holding another vote, while 27% are unsure. The appetite for a second referendum is highest among those who wish to return to the European fold, with 88% of prospective Rejoin voters backing a new ballot.
Tryl added: “While young Britons mostly support rejoining in principle, focus group conversations suggest they’re hesitant about a return to the endless Brexit debates they remember from their youth, which risks distracting from the issues they care most about – the cost of living, affordable housing, jobs and climate change.”
