Brexit from an Expat Perspective

With 2.1 million members in 390 cities around the world, InterNations is the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad. Given the impending Brexit vote, they have conducted a survey to determine the voting preferences and information intake of Brits living in EU member countries, with over 1,800 British expatriates taking part.

The survey showed that an overwhelming three quarters of British expats were in favour of remaining in the European Union. Almost all British expats felt that the Brexit debate was a matter of personal concern, and over 80 percent revealed that their living situation abroad would change as a result of leaving the EU.

However, almost a third of British expats (27 percent) do not feel well informed about the election, mainly because they feel deprived of the necessary information. Research-wise, 91 percent have been consulting British media publications, while other points of information have included family and friends and internationally-based English-language media outlets. More than 40 percent of the questioned expats, though, are not even planning to vote, mainly due to a lack of voting rights.

“I, like many other British citizens living long term in EU countries, have been utterly disenfranchised from a vote that potentially has a greater impact on us than most,” stated one of the survey’s participants. “If we have lived outside of the UK for a certain period [15 years] of time, we lose our right to vote.”