Left out of the left behind? Ethnic minority support for Brexit

Bibliographic Data

ID2149592
AuthorsNicole S Martins (0000-0001-8480-7175, University of Manchester, corresponding author), Maria Sobolewska (0000-0001-9858-5091, University of Manchester), N Begum (0000-0002-8791-4520, University of Nottingham)
Year2025
Volume48
Issue5
Pages951-973
Publication date2025-04-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01419870.2024.2358080
OpenAlexW4399176412
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited45

The Brexit referendum was a seismic electoral event with far-reaching consequences, but ethnic minority voters' decisions in the referendum remain under-researched. We examine what differentiates ethnic minority Remainers from Leavers in two large social surveys. Ethnic minority voters were divided along ethnocentric and generational lines, similarly to majority voters. Those who were born overseas were more likely to support Brexit; meanwhile, younger minorities and those born in the UK were more supportive of Remain, like their young white British counterparts. We show that anti-immigrant attitudes, including views on Turkey joining the EU, mattered for ethnic minority Leavers, as well as sovereignty concerns. Our results reveal that the factors that led minorities to vote to leave the EU were not altogether different from those identified for white British voters. We argue the concept of left behind can include minorities, and research must therefore consider what role whiteness plays in this concept

Brexit · Business · Ethnic group · European union · International trade · Left behind · New Left · Political science · Politics · Law · Medicine · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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