Brexit: Google data shows more searches for 'leave' than 'remain' | V3

UK citizens appear to be more interested in finding out about leaving the European Union than staying in it, according to search query data from Google.

Google looked at millions of searches in the UK and found that more people searched for ‘Leave the EU' than ‘Stay in the EU' between 8 and 13 June.

The data also shows that only in nine of the 256 districts in England did people make more searches for terms relating to 'Remain' than to 'Leave'.

It is important to note that people searching for information on a possible Brexit may not necessarily vote to leave, as many would simply have been looking for information about leaving or remaining in the EU to better inform their decision in the referendum on 23 June. 

The questions most people asked Google with regards to the EU referendum between 8 and 13 June were ‘What is Brexit?', followed by ‘When is the EU referendum?', ‘How do I vote in the EU referendum?' and ‘How do I register to vote in the EU referendum?'.

The top five EU referendum issues in Google's weekly search results between 14 February and 5 June were immigration, the NHS, the economy, sovereignty and national security. The economy and the NHS were the top weekly searches on several occasions during this period.

The top questions that start with ‘How will Brexit affect ...' concerned the euro, the pound, house prices, immigration and the stock market.

Google's data also shows that the most popular question in the UK related to the referendum and David Cameron during the period was ‘Will Cameron step down?' followed by ‘Why did David Cameron call a referendum?', while the top question in the UK related to Brexit and Boris Johnson was ‘Will Boris Johnson be the next prime minister?'.

Further reading

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2461691/brexit-google-data-shows-more-searches-for-leave-than-remain