What Will YOU Do If We Leave The EU? – OfficeBroker.com ask 18-34 year old Brits their views on ‘Brexit’ and what they would do if the UK leaves the EU.

15.4 percent of young Brits would consider emigration if UK quits EU, which would result in more than 2 million people leaving the UK*. Nearly a third (32 percent) of 18-34 year olds in the North East of England would also consider leaving the UK. Northern Irish more likely to give up on UK if Britain votes to leave the EU as 23.8 percent of 18-34 year olds polled from NI say they would consider emigration. 

It’s not much more than a week since the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced the date that Britain would go to the polls to decide on its place in Europe, yet it seems that tempers are already flaring. With June 23rd 2016 only three months away and the two sides of the argument outwardly evenly balanced, www.OfficeBroker.com have conducted a poll of over 1100 Brits to discover their views on the matter. What makes this survey different from all of the others is the question being asked – not how will you vote, but what will you do if

Britain does decide to leave the EU? The results are intriguing.

Survey respondents were asked one simple question: Would you consider emigrating if the UK votes to leave the EU?  A huge 15.4 percent of respondents answered yes, equating to more than 2 million working age Brits considering  emigrating  if the UK leaves the EU. Worryingly, despite the fact that emigration involves massive upheaval, only just over half (56.7 percent) of the young people surveyed answered with a categorical ‘no’. Almost a third (27.8 percent) said that they would prefer not to say at this stage, leaving open the possibility that Britain could face a dramatic brain-drain were the decision made to leave the EU, with 43.2 percent of people open to the idea of emigration.  

The biggest losses would come from males aged 18-24, nearly over 18 percent of whom said they would consider leaving the UK in light of a Brexit meaning that we would face a pronounced skill shortage both now and in the years ahead. One of the most interesting aspects of the survey is the change in views according to geography. In England and Wales more than half of all survey respondents in each country (56.9 percent and 66.7 respectively) said that they would be happy in a UK outside of the EU, while in Scotland over a third (37 percent) preferred not to say. The most striking result came from Northern Ireland however, where a massive 23 percent percent of 18-34 year olds said that they would seriously consider emigration in the event of a ‘leave’ vote. When broken down by gender, an astonishing 42 percent of Northern Irish females would consider emigration.  In the North East of England nearly a third (32 percent) of respondents said they would view leaving the UK as an option if we left the EU.

OfficeBroker.com spokesperson, Chris Meredith, comments: ‘There are so many different factors to consider when it comes to “Brexit”, but while all the politicians are focussing on trade deals and security – both obviously important matters – it seems that they’re neglecting another of the public’s serious concerns: quality of life. ‘I’m not here to tell anyone how to vote; it’s something that each individual has to decide for themselves. However, precautions need to be taken on both sides of the argument to make sure that whatever result comes through, Brits of all ages are left feeling confident about life in the UK. In the last two years Britain has started moving forward once more; we can’t afford to lose that momentum in a “Brexit” point-scoring exercise.’ 

OfficeBroker.com surveyed over 1100 British adults ages between 18 and 34 in February and March 2016.

* Figure calculated using ONS statistics.

14,632,713    Total number of 18-34 year olds in the UK

2,253,438    = 15.4 percent considering emigration.

Would you consider emigrating if the UK votes to leave the EU?