9 December 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
Followers of our Poll of Polls will be aware that it has been suggesting that the referendum race has narrowed somewhat during the course of the autumn. At the end of September it stood briefly at Remain 54% Leave 46%, for most of October it read, Remain 53% Leave 47%, but since the middle of […]
2 December 2015 Comment Nationality, identity and culture The EU Referendum
The surprise outright victory of David Cameron’s Conservative party at this year’s General Election means that we are now certain there will be a referendum on Britain’s future in the European Union (EU). At some point before the end of 2017 we will be asked whether we think the UK should remain a member of […]
27 November 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
What arguments will have the strongest effects on Britain’s EU referendum? Will citizens be more strongly influenced by arguments that focus on economics, or those that stress political or cultural points? To answer these questions we undertook an online experiment, testing the effects of positive and negative arguments that focus on economics, political influence or […]
8 November 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
It seems that tomorrow the Prime Minister will finally put his cards on the table and provide other EU leaders with an indication of what he hopes to achieve in the renegotiation of the terms of Britain’s EU membership. How far he succeeds in achieving his objectives will, we are told, determine whether he will […]
28 October 2015 Comment Nationality, identity and culture
As the campaigns to persuade Britain to remain in or leave the EU start to take shape, both sides will be looking for clues as to what might swing the argument for voters. There will, of course, be practical claims and counter claims about the economy, migration, jobs, etc. But what of more subtle appeals to matters of the ‘heart’?
23 October 2015 Comment Sources of persuasion The EU Referendum
When Britain goes to the polls, at some point before the end of 2017, to vote on whether to stay in or leave the European Union, it will be following in the footsteps of many other European countries. Since the early 1970s, over 50 referendums have been held across Europe on various aspects of European […]
22 October 2015 Comment Sources of persuasion The EU Referendum
What effect might Britain’s party leaders have on the referendum on the country’s continued European Union membership? In the social sciences it is well known that leaders can have decisive effects on the outcome of elections and referendums. Amid complex debates, it has been shown that citizens often rely on their leaders to provide “informational […]
21 October 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
Introduction to an analysis paper on who supports and who opposes the UK’s membership of the EU.
19 October 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
Introduction to the Poll of Polls facility on the What UK Thinks: EU website.
14 October 2015 Comment The EU Referendum
Introduction to the What UK Thinks: EU website.
