Brexit - What do Labour voters want?

During the 2017 United Kingdom general election, the Labour Party achieved a greater proportion of votes than most political commentators and polls predicted. One factor for the increased Labour support may have been the electorate's rejection of the Government's position on Brexit. Consequently Pollogic undertook a series of polls in an attempt to understand 400 Labour voters reasoning in regards to Brexit. Results were collected between the 12th June and 27th June 2017

The vast majority of Labour voters (62%) were found to be either opposed or strongly opposed to the UK leaving the European Union (EU), while only a small minority (9.6%) did not know what position they held. Similarly, respondents largely believed the Labour party were either opposed or strongly opposed to the UK leaving the European Union (46%), while 15.7% said they did not know the position of Labour. Notably, a strong majority respondents believed Labour was only moderately opposed to leaving the EU in contrast to their strong personal position.

A similar majority of Labour voters (62%) were found to be either opposed or strongly opposed to the UK leaving the EU common market and customs union, while a minority (13.6%) had no opinion either way. Likewise, a majority of respondents (60%) believed the Labour party was either opposed or strongly opposed to leaving the EU common market and customs union.

In addition, respondents were largely opposed or strongly opposed (60%) to ending freedom of movement to the UK from within the EU. This view was also in line with the position they believed the Labour party held albeit a significant portion (20.6%) were unsure of Labour's position on the matter.

The hypothesis that people voted for the Labour believing the party held similar positions on Brexit related issues is largely borne out by the data. However, there was a discrepancy between what Labour voters personally think about Brexit and what they believe the Labour party's position is. Namely, a small (but significant) portion of the electorate did not know the position of Labour. Furthermore, respondents often believed Labour's desire to remain part of the EU's institutions was weaker than theirs. Whether the government or opposition parties draw a similar conclusion and realign their Brexit strategy remains to be seen.