Do Brits Miss the EU — or Is Britain Happier Outside It? The Answer May Depend on Your Age

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Ask a 20-year-old Brit whether they miss the EU and you may get a very different answer from someone who voted Leave in 2016. Ten years after Brexit, the generation gap over Britain’s relationship with Europe may be bigger than ever.

Do Brits Actually Miss Being Part of the EU? The Answer Depends Entirely on Your Age

By Paola Bapelle | Opinion

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, one thing is becoming crystal clear: the answer to whether Brits miss the EU depends entirely on how old you are.

If you're under 30, you probably want back in. If you're over 65, you're probably fine where you are. And if you're in between, you're probably just confused and tired of the whole thing.

I have a feeling the answers would be VERY different depending on age. And the data backs me up.

Brexit has been a disaster for the UK economy. EU migration is still a hot topic. UK immigration policy is in chaos. European politics are shifting. Politics news continues to cover this story.

A survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) found that 57% of British voters now consider leaving the EU a mistake. But here's the kicker: among young voters (18-24), that number jumps to 70% who would vote to rejoin.

Generation Z is not messing around. A More in Common poll found that 60% of 18-to-28-year-olds would vote to rejoin the EU, compared to just 9% who would stay out [citation:11]. Among likely voters, that number jumps to 81% .

Luke Tryl, executive director of More In Common, said: "For many Gen Z Britons, the Brexit referendum was formative to their political 'coming of age'."

Meanwhile, 64% of voters over 65 voted Leave in 2016 [citation:10]. And many of them still stand by that choice. A Deltapoll survey found that most over-65s favour staying out of the EU.

It's a generational chasm. And it's growing wider by the day.

The Young Feel Cheated. And They're Right.

Young people were too young to vote in 2016. They didn't get a say. And now they're paying the price.

The UK economy is estimated to be 6-8% smaller than it would have been without Brexit [citation:10]. That means fewer jobs, slower wage growth, and less investment. Young people entering the labour market have been hit hardest.

Older voters, on the other hand, are less affected. They have pensions, savings, and property. They're insulated from the economic pain that younger generations are feeling.

Can you blame young people for being angry?

A study by King's College London and the think tank UK in a Changing Europe found that 48% of respondents think Brexit has turned out worse than expected [citation:8]. That's nearly double the 27% who felt that way in 2021.

As one 18-year-old told researchers: "Everyone my age was thinking, 'Well, no offense, but you are not going to be here for much longer, and you are like deciding my whole future.'"

Hard to argue with that logic.

Brexit impact on young people is severe. Youth unemployment is rising. Cost of living is crushing families. EU workers are leaving the UK. Politics news continues to track this story.

Brexit's Broken Promises

Remember the big promises? "Take back control." "£350 million a week for the NHS." "End freedom of movement."

All of them have collapsed.

On immigration: Net migration hit 944,000 in 2023, far higher than pre-Brexit levels . The EU blue-collar workers left, but non-EU migration exploded. The so-called "Boriswave" replaced European workers with non-European ones. It was a source swap, not a reduction.

On the economy: Households have lost about £2,300 in purchasing power per year [citation:12]. The economy is smaller. Wages are stagnant. And the NHS is still in crisis.

On trade: UK goods exports to the EU have dropped by 16% compared to what they would have been without Brexit [citation:12]. New trade deals with Australia, New Zealand, and others haven't made up the difference.

No wonder people are having second thoughts. 66% of Britons now view Brexit as negative for the country .

UK trade deals have failed to deliver. NHS funding is still a crisis. Brexit economic impact is clear. Immigration stats tell the story. Business news continues to cover this story.

What About the Older Voters?

Here's the thing: older voters remember a different Britain. They remember the pre-EU days. They remember when Britain "stood alone." And they don't trust the EU.

One 70-year-old Leave voter told researchers: "Everything was great before we joined the EU. It all started getting worse."

His 70-year-old Remainer neighbour disagreed: "Well, I remember that it was crap before."

Memory is a funny thing. People remember what they want to remember.

For many older voters, Brexit is about sovereignty. It's about national pride. It's about feeling like Britain is still a great power.

But at what cost?

UK sovereignty is a key issue. British nationalism is on the rise. EU-UK relations are strained. Brexit demographics are shifting. World news continues to cover this story.

What Happens When the Old Die and the Young Vote?

This is the uncomfortable question that nobody wants to ask.

In the 2016 referendum, 64% of over-65s voted Leave [citation:10]. Since then, over 6 million Britons have died [citation:11]. The Leave vote is literally dying out.

At the same time, about 6 million young people who couldn't vote in 2016 have since become eligible . They overwhelmingly support rejoining.

This demographic shift is inevitable. It's not a matter of if, but when.

A study published in the Korea Citation Index concluded that "demographic trends will tend to strengthen distrust in the EU" . The aging population is more Eurosceptic. But wait — that's the older generation. As they die off, the younger generation takes over.

And the younger generation wants back in.

UK demographics are shifting. Young voters are pro-EU. Aging population is pro-Brexit. Generational divide is growing. Politics news continues to track this story.

So, Do Brits Actually Miss the EU?

Yes. And no.

Young Brits miss it. They never got a say in leaving. They're angry about the economic consequences. And they'd vote to rejoin in a heartbeat.

Old Brits don't miss it. They voted for Brexit. They remember a different time. And they're comfortable with their choice.

And everyone in between? They're just tired. Tired of the arguments. Tired of the uncertainty. Tired of a decade of political chaos.

The ECFR survey found that 75% of Britons want closer relations with the EU, not necessarily rejoining, but closer ties [citation:4]. Even 63% of Britons would accept freedom of movement in exchange for stronger trade relations .

That's a remarkable shift. The issue that defined Brexit — freedom of movement — has lost its political toxicity.

One thing is clear: the UK is a different country than it was in 2016. And the country it's becoming will almost certainly want to be back in the EU.

It's just a matter of time.

UK-EU future is uncertain. Rejoin debate is growing. EU-UK trade is struggling. Public opinion is shifting. Opinion continues to cover this story.

By Paola Bapelle. Views expressed are her own.

Sources: European Council on Foreign Relations, More in Common, Deltapoll, YouGov, King's College London, UK in a Changing Europe, Bertelsmann Stiftung, The Guardian, The Conversation.

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