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Category: Project

Description: What role did national identity play in Britain’s decision to leave the European Union? Previous research suggests that identification with the UK was a (weak) predictor of a vote to Leave, whereas identification with the EU was a (strong) predictor of a vote to Remain. However, this research used relatively simple measures of social identity. The present study provides an additional test of these relationships, using two more sophisticated measures of national identity – Social Identity and Identity Fusion. The study surveyed a sample of UK voters (N=212) before the EU Referendum. Consistent with previous research, the study found relatively little relationship between UK identity and the intention to vote Leave, and a strong relationship between EU identity and the intention to voter Remain. The study also found that there was little difference in the degree to which Leave and Remain voters identified with the UK, and little correlation between UK and EU identity, indicating that the two are not necessarily in opposition. These finding suggest that Brexit was less the result of excess nationalism, and more the result of dissatisfaction with the EU project.