About these data

Full question: As you may know, the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the EU and Theresa May’s government contains a section, known as the ‘backstop’, intended to ensure there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit. This means that, unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed, the UK would remain in the EU customs union, and some EU regulations would still apply to Northern Ireland but not to the rest of the UK. Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, has said the UK will not agree to any deal that includes the ‘backstop’, but the EU has insisted that it must be part of any Brexit deal. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31st October. If no further progress is made in the negotiations before then, and these are the only two options available, which of the following would you rather do?

All questions relevant to this website that were asked on the same poll:

• Do you think there should be a new referendum on whether the UK should leave or remain in the EU?
• If there was a second referendum on whether to remain in the EU or leave the EU, how would you vote?
• Do you think Brexit makes Irish unification in the foreseeable future more or less likely?
• Do you think that Brexit strengthens the case for Irish unification, or that Brexit strengthens the case for Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK?
• Would you most like to see the UK leave the EU on 31 October with or without a deal, the UK leave the EU with a good deal even if this means waiting beyond 31 October, or the UK remain in the EU?
• What do you think would be the result of leaving the EU with no deal for Northern Ireland?
• If it were not possible to have both, do you think it is more important for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK or for Northern Ireland to remain in the EU?
• If no further progress is made in the negotiations before the UK is due to leave the EU on 31st October, and the only two options available are to leave the EU with a deal that includes the Northern Ireland ‘backstop’ or to leave the EU with no deal, which would you prefer?
• If it were not possible after Brexit to have both exactly the same laws and regulations in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK and no visible border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which do you think is more important?
• Do you think that ‘The issue of the Irish border is being deliberately exaggerated by politicians who want to stop Brexit – if both sides were willing, a practical solution could be found that would avoid a hard border after Brexit without EU regulations applying in Northern Ireland’, or that ‘The only way to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is to keep the ‘backstop’, or for the UK to remain in the EU – there is no alternative solution available’?
• What is your opinion on the ‘backstop’?