Immigration takes top spot as biggest concern for UK voters

LONDON, UK, 16th June 2016 – According to a UK survey by SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading survey platform, 48 percent of Britons say they’ll vote to leave the EU in the referendum next week alongside an identical 48 percent who will choose to remain. A mere four percent of those heading to the polls are still undecided just a week out from the historic June 23rd ballot.

The even split stands in stark contrast to what British voters, and betting markets, expect by a whopping 60 to 37 percent margin. Far more voters in this poll anticipate the remain side to prevail over leave.

Nearly a third of all Britons who plan to cast ballots in the referendum single out immigration as the No. 1 issue, of whom 73 percent back the leave campaign and just 23 percent support remain.

Of those who see EU membership as the UK’s top concern, 54 percent are voting to leave and 44 percent are backing the remain camp.

Of those voters who are worried about the other top three issues, the economy, the NHS and inequality, large numbers will vote to remain:

NHS
Remain: 60%
Leave: 33%

Economy
Remain: 67%
Leave: 30%

Poverty/Inequality
Remain: 74%
Leave: 24%

“The best shot for advocates of continuing British membership in the EU may be to expand the number of issues on voters’ minds beyond the narrow membership question and the broader immigration issue,” said Jon Cohen, Chief Research Officer of SurveyMonkey.

Interestingly, over two thirds (69 percent) of those planning to vote in the referendum next week say they are dissatisfied with the way David Cameron is performing his duties as Prime Minister, and just 29 percent state they are satisfied. At the same time, 49 percent of respondents say the nation’s economy has deteriorated over the past 12 months with only 21 percent saying it has improved.

A majority of Conservative voters side with the leave campaign by a 21-point margin (38 percent are planning to vote remain compared with 59 percent leave). By contrast, more than two thirds of Labour supporters back remain (68 to 30 percent for leave).

By better than 2-to-1, more British voters see UK businesses as being helped rather than hurt by the country’s EU membership. And there’s nearly as strong a ratio when it comes to the EU’s impact on British consumers.

This SurveyMonkey UK poll was conducted online from 8th-15th June among a national sample of 3,533 British voters who intend to vote in the Brexit referendum. Respondents were selected after answering one of the nearly three million user-created surveys running each day on the SurveyMonkey platform.

About SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is the world's leading provider of web-based survey solutions, with more than 3 million survey responses every day. Founded in 1999, its aim is to help people make better decisions. Its technology is based on over 16 years of experience in survey methodology and web development. SurveyMonkey's customers include 99% of the Fortune 500 as well as SMEs, academic institutions and public organisations. The company has over 600 employees throughout the US and Europe, and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For more information, visit uk.surveymonkey.com.

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