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The Anxiety of Political Uncertainty: Insights from the Brexit Vote

Author

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  • Isabel Ruiz
  • Carlos Vargas-Silva

Abstract

Anxiety is driven by cognitive uncertainty, and large political events can change levels of uncertainty in a nation’s population, including among individuals in migrant groups. This article explores the association between the Brexit vote and the relative anxiety levels of various sectors of the UK population: the UK born, EU migrants, and non-EU migrants. Self-reported high anxiety levels among these population groups six months before and after the referendum suggest differences in social and economic uncertainty. After the Brexit vote, EU migrants reported high levels of anxiety at a rate that was 1.8 percentage points lower than the UK born; this suggests economic rather than social anxiety, given that the UK born were losing access to EU opportunities. The reduction in anxiety for EU migrants was marked in regions with greater support to remain in the EU, suggesting its importance in reducing their social uncertainty and therefore anxiety.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Ruiz & Carlos Vargas-Silva, 2021. "The Anxiety of Political Uncertainty: Insights from the Brexit Vote," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 697(1), pages 81-98, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:697:y:2021:i:1:p:81-98
    DOI: 10.1177/00027162211058389
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