Previous to the 2016 referendum on leaving, polling persistently confirmed that individuals in Britain had beforehand given little thought to the European Union.
However a survey of British individuals residing in Europe and UK-resident EU residents carried out by our crew on the universities of Birmingham and Lancaster suggests Brexit has triggered a profound shift.
These teams report discovering themselves reflecting deeply on their identities and their attachments to the European mission. In addition they seem to have been politicised consequently.
As many as three-quarters of the survey’s 2,000 respondents mentioned they have been both extraordinarily (36%) or very (39%) hooked up to the EU. There have been solely minor variations on this level between the 2 teams. Sentiments are much less intense in the case of their nations of origin and residence, with most feeling solely “reasonable” attachment.

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Throughout each populations, two thirds of respondents reported that Brexit had modified their emotions in the direction of the EU. It had given them a shared trigger to mobilise round but additionally had turn out to be a focus for identification.
This power of attachment to being European for many of these collaborating existed alongside reasonably than in distinction to their emotions of attachment to their nations of origin and residence.
Mary, a British lady in her 60s residing in Eire, mentioned:
I didn’t actually give it some thought earlier than. It was simply there – benign, peaceable and optimistic, holding all of the nations of Europe collectively and offering great alternatives for journey and work. Since Britain left [the EU], I really feel bereft and in addition offended at having my EU citizenship eliminated.
Mario, an Italian citizen in his 40s who lives within the UK, defined:
I really feel extra European than Italian. I’ve at all times believed in Europe, however after Brexit and all its penalties, my assist and sense of belonging has grown much more.
It’s notable that Britain’s departure from the EU has triggered a deeper reflection and an apparently stronger need to belong to a bunch that was maybe as soon as taken as a right.
And it’s maybe ironic that it took Brexit to set off indicators of a type of bottom-up legitimacy that the EU has lengthy struggled to generate. There are probably classes from Brexit for desirous about the long run improvement of European identities and attachments to the EU.
Political engagement
Alongside their attachments to the Europe and the EU, over 50% of these taking part within the survey highlighted that Brexit had elevated their political participation and engagement, each on the poll field and past.
Within the UK, residents of EU member states, who beforehand could have recognized extra strongly with their nation of origin, discovered themselves centring their shared id as EU residents inside their marketing campaign for residents’ rights.
Anne, a UK-resident German lady in her 50s, mentioned:
Brexit has utterly modified my life. I went from zero political engagement to turning into a political activist and campaigner for residents’ rights, each as a non-public particular person and volunteer and in addition professionally by working full time for EU residents’ rights within the UK.
This identification with being European was matched amongst British residents within the EU. Like many different individuals collaborating on this work, Julie, a British lady in her 30s residing in France, harassed Brexit had been a political awakening:
I knew nothing about politics earlier than Brexit. I learn lots across the time of the vote and sought to know all of the British and EU authorized techniques, commerce offers and so forth. I now realise that political ? impacts on our lives in a manner I hadn’t realised earlier than … I’ve been to protests and rallies for the primary time in my life.
Energetic citizenship, a time period that describes political engagement past formal political participation (reminiscent of voting), was a big function of the political actions that individuals reported via the survey.
The survey discovered that, whereas now not EU residents in identify, and with out formal political rights on this space, British residents residing within the EU stay invested and energetic members within the European mission with some members highlighting that that they had joined European social actions and continued supported European political candidates via monetary donations and different contributions.
What this survey makes seen is how being European turned significant via Brexit, but additionally the way it persists as a supply of identification for these on each side of the channel, with and with out the formal rights of EU residents.