Brexit supporters think leaving EU is worth ‘significant damage’ to UK economy: poll shows

Voters who backed the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union seem adamant that they made the right decision last year.

A recent YouGov poll found that 61 percent of people who voted to leave the EU said Brexit would be worth “significant damage to the British economy.”

The poll comes as Prime Minister Theresa May advocates for a so-called hard Brexit, which would end the free movement of goods, services and people between the U.K. and European Union.

Amid Britain’s uncertain economic future, a number of companies have already said they are considering relocating their regional offices to other major European cities. Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimates that London could see 40,000 sales, trading and investment banking jobs relocate to other financial centers in Europe.

When asked if leaving the EU would be worth causing the respondent or their family members to lose their job, 39 percent of Brexit supporters said that it would be a price worth paying.

The 2016 referendum to exit the EU saw broader support among older generations. Pollsters found that high turnout among older white, working-class people helped drive the win for the Leave campaign.

YouGov’s most recent poll echoed those findings, even among those with similar ideological leanings.

For respondents 65 and older, 71 percent of Brexit supporters said leaving the EU was worth damaging the economy. Fifty percent of that demographic thought Brexit was worth either a family member or themselves losing their job.

But Brexit supporters between the ages of 18 and 24 appeared less certain. Only 25 percent of them said it would be worth job loss, while 46 percent thought Brexit was worth harming the economy.

Source: CNBC