Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland

Has the UK referendum to leave the EU (Brexit) affected territorial preferences within the UK? We draw on comparative theories of such preferences to address this question, as Brexit can be seen as a shock to a political unit. We test hypotheses in two key regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland, wit...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Daniels, L-A, Kuo, A
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press 2021
_version_ 1797108929759543296
author Daniels, L-A
Kuo, A
author_facet Daniels, L-A
Kuo, A
author_sort Daniels, L-A
collection OXFORD
description Has the UK referendum to leave the EU (Brexit) affected territorial preferences within the UK? We draw on comparative theories of such preferences to address this question, as Brexit can be seen as a shock to a political unit. We test hypotheses in two key regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with original surveys fielded at a unique time (September 2019). We randomize making salient different Brexit scenarios and measure support for Scottish independence and unification with Ireland within each region. We find in Scotland the prospect of leaving the EU increases support for independence. This effect is pronounced among those who support the UK remaining in the EU. In Northern Ireland, religious background correlates highly with territorial views, and we find little evidence of Brexit or border-scenario effects. Our results contribute to the literature on decentralization processes and the EU, and provide evidence of when negative shocks affect such preferences.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T07:34:54Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:6b1f6a87-edf9-4cd2-9f25-f6b105dfd557
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T07:34:54Z
publishDate 2021
publisher Oxford University Press
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:6b1f6a87-edf9-4cd2-9f25-f6b105dfd5572023-02-28T09:49:23ZBrexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern IrelandJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6b1f6a87-edf9-4cd2-9f25-f6b105dfd557EnglishSymplectic ElementsOxford University Press2021Daniels, L-AKuo, AHas the UK referendum to leave the EU (Brexit) affected territorial preferences within the UK? We draw on comparative theories of such preferences to address this question, as Brexit can be seen as a shock to a political unit. We test hypotheses in two key regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with original surveys fielded at a unique time (September 2019). We randomize making salient different Brexit scenarios and measure support for Scottish independence and unification with Ireland within each region. We find in Scotland the prospect of leaving the EU increases support for independence. This effect is pronounced among those who support the UK remaining in the EU. In Northern Ireland, religious background correlates highly with territorial views, and we find little evidence of Brexit or border-scenario effects. Our results contribute to the literature on decentralization processes and the EU, and provide evidence of when negative shocks affect such preferences.
spellingShingle Daniels, L-A
Kuo, A
Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title_full Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title_fullStr Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title_full_unstemmed Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title_short Brexit and territorial preferences: evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland
title_sort brexit and territorial preferences evidence from scotland and northern ireland
work_keys_str_mv AT danielsla brexitandterritorialpreferencesevidencefromscotlandandnorthernireland
AT kuoa brexitandterritorialpreferencesevidencefromscotlandandnorthernireland