One of the reasons invoked to support calls for a second EU referendum is that the vote would inevitably go the other way, because people have changed their minds. In the polite version, this is because they will have new information on hand about the real costs of Brexit, such as the decline in sterling. In the less polite version, this is because the people were stupid enough to be fooled by a pack of lies from the Leave campaign. In reality, this regret over Brexit – ‘Bregret’ – is more imagined than real.
This myth has been circulating since 24 June. In the immediate aftermath of the referendum, Remainer media outlets scrambled to find individual Brexit voters who were shocked or upset by the outcome, saying they had only wanted to lodge a protest vote. Despite the fact that only a handful of people were willing to say this on camera, Remainers sought to present them as widely representative. Similarly, stories circulated that many people were Googling ‘what is the EU?’ in the days after the vote, despite the fact that only 1,000 people did so.
A couple of weeks ago, the myth was given more oxygen – and apparent scientific confirmation – with the gleeful circulation of this graphic and article from The Economist, which purported to show extensive Bregret.
The data here come from the British Electoral Survey (BES), which polled voters in the immediate aftermath of the referendum. BES’s own commentary on its findings do not support the idea of significant Bregret, however. BES notes that 6% of Leave voters regretted their vote, which rose to 8% among those least convinced, before the vote, that Leave would win. However, BES says, ‘the narrative of surprised and regretful Leave voters has some truth but only for a small minority of voters’. Leavers were, on average, far more convinced they would win than Remainers. Moreover, ‘the level of regret is consistent with what we saw at the [2015] general election.’
Other sources confirm that voters remain pretty firm in their choices. YouGov focus groups conducted in August found no change among Leavers or Remainers and, remarkably, no desire among Remainers for a second referendum, even from those who signed a petition calling for one (so clearly Brexiters are not alone in saying one thing and wanting another). YouGov polls through August and September also found the 52/48 split remaining consistent. John Curtice, the UK’s premier polling expert, concludes that claims of ‘buyers’ remorse’ are merely ‘wishful thinking’ by Remainers. “Very few minds have been changed – there are very few signs of regret.”
That the myth nonetheless circulates tells us a lot about both Remainers and Leavers. It shows that many Remainers still believe that the only reason that voters could have been so foolish as to vote to leave the EU is a lack of information, caused by lies or distortion, which are now being corrected as the predicted post-Brexit ‘disaster’ unfolds (even though, actually, it doesn’t). Leave voters could not, on this view, have voted for principled reasons, or on the basis of careful consideration; just a bit of additional information would be enough to change their position. That voters have actually stuck to their guns suggests quite the opposite.
thecurrentmoment 
Leave a Reply