EU REFERENDUM SNAP POLL

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Scot Riley
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1 EU REFERENDUM SNAP POLL Published: March fsb.org.uk

2 FSB EU REFERENDUM SNAP POLL The FSB EU Referendum snap poll was sent on the 20 February to both the Big Voice Survey panel, as well as half of the FSB membership database who had addresses. The survey remained open until 9am on Tuesday 23 February and resulted in 4005 responses 1. KEY FINDINGS 52 per cent of FSB members, at the time of being surveyed, did not feel informed about the EU referendum per cent of FSB members have not yet made a firm and final decision about how they will vote on the forthcoming EU referendum 3. The top three issues which will influence members vote on the EU referendum are EU governance (75%), free movement of people (70%) and the cost of EU membership (69%). FINDINGS 1. How informed are small firms on the forthcoming referendum on the UK s membership of the European Union? 52 per cent of FSB members, at the time of being surveyed, did not feel informed about the EU referendum per cent of FSB members, at the time of being surveyed, did feel informed about the EU referendum. FSB members in devolved nations were more likely not to feel informed about the EU referendum with the highest level recorded in Northern Ireland (where 55 per cent of FSB members indicated they were not informed), closely followed by Scotland (53%). FSB members in England were on par with the national average for members not feeling informed about the debate on 52 percent. How informed do you feel about the forthcoming referendum on the UK s membership of the European Union? Nation Total England N. Ireland Scotland Wales Weighted Base Net: Not informed 51.93% 52.05% 55.05% 53.27% 46.08% Net: Informed 38.39% 38.21% 37.61% 37.12% 44.37% 1 Percentages were rounded up or down to the nearest whole numbers. 2 This figure combines those who selected not at all informed and not very well informed 3 This figure combines those who selected I have made a decision but may still change my mind and I have not yet decided on how I will vote 4 This figure combines those who selected not at all informed and not very well informed

3 2. How sure are small firms on their vote in the EU referendum? 42 per cent of FSB members may be swayed with 21 per cent indicating they do not yet know how they will vote and 21 per cent open to changing their voting intention per cent of FSB members have indicated they are firmly decided on how they will vote 6. Which of the following best describes your position with regards to the forthcoming referendum on the UK s membership of the EU? Nation Total England N. Ireland Scotland Wales Weighted Base I have always known how I would vote I have now made a firm decision on how to vote I have made a decision but may still change my mind I have not yet decided on how I will vote I won t or can t vote in the referendum 38.10% 37.77% 37.61% 38.85% 42.32% 18.54% 18.47% 19.27% 17.12% 22.18% 20.73% 20.91% 22.94% 19.62% 19.11% 21.48% 21.75% 20.18% 23.27% 13.99% 0.47% 0.42% % 1.37% Other, please specify 0.54% 0.58% % 0.68% I would rather not say 0.14% 0.10% % 0.34% Net: Decided (firmly or might change) 77.37% 77.15% 79.82% 75.58% 83.62% 5 Note on research footnoted as [1]-This figure combines those who selected I have made a decision but may still change my mind and I have not yet decided on how I will vote 6 Note on research footnoted as -This figure combines those who selected I have always known how I would vote and I have now made a firm decision on how to vote

4 3. Which areas will influence voting intentions? FSB members ranked a list of ten issues in the following order: EU governance (e.g. EU decision making) 75% Free movement of people (e.g. of EU labour, travel, tourism) 70% Cost of EU membership 69% Administrative burden onbusinesses as a result of complying with regulation 68% Economic impact on the UK 64% Trade with EU Countries 53% Access to the Single Market 49% Trade with non-eu Countries 48% EU funding 42% Competition 35% When asked When thinking about the forthcoming referendum on the UK s membership of the European Union, which of the following areas do you need more information on? FSB members answered they needed more information on: The economic impact on the UK 48% Administrative burden of regulation 38% Cost of EU membership 33% 4. Concluding remarks Small businesses want clarity on what the practical impact of staying in or leaving the EU will have on their business. A staggering 52 per cent of our members do not feel informed about the EU. We will continue to push for clarity on what the practical impact of remaining within or leaving the EU will have on small firms. Across the UK the sway vote for small businesses varied. The national figure was 42 per cent, in Scotland and Northern Ireland this was slightly higher at 43 per cent. Conversely in Wales only 33 per cent of small firms indicated their vote could still be swayed. Our role in the debate is to ensure the voice of small business is heard. This new research focused on discovering the real issues that would influence how a small business would vote and to discover the specific areas they want more information on. We will use this information to ensure that both the Remain and Leave campaigns addresses the issues facing smaller businesses. The FSB is neutral in the EU referendum debate and will not be backing either the remain or leave vote. For this reason we did not re- ask the voting intention question in this snap survey.

5 Federation of Small Businesses fsb.org.uk If you require this document in an alternative format please All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the FSB. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the facts and data contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted by the FSB for errors or omissions or their consequences. Articles that appear in the report are written in general terms only. They are not intended to be a comprehensive statement of the issues raised and should not be relied upon for any specific purposes. Readers should seek appropriate professional advice regarding the application to their specific circumstances of the issues raised in any article. This report can be downloaded from the FSB website at

2.3 IMMIGRATION: THE NUMBERS

1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2.3 IMMIGRATION: THE NUMBERS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE UK