Uncovering The Underlying Causes Of The Brexit Referendum Result In Northern Ireland: Members Of Legislative Assembly Perspectives

Résumé: The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of the outcome of the Brexit referendum in Northern Ireland, by administering a closed-ended questionnaire to the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), who serve as representatives of the entire population of Northern Ireland. The findings were consistent with the outcome of the actual 2016 Brexit referendum, which resulted in a vote to remain part of the EU, albeit with a higher percentage point of 66.7%. The primary factors driving the 33.3% votes’ decision to exit the EU, as articulated in the survey however, were identified as the cost of EU membership (41.6%), the growth of nationalism sentiment (33.4%), and the perceived superiority of EU laws (25%) respectively, whereas the respondents’ stance was not significantly influenced by the freedom of movement factor.

Publié dans la revue: مجلة الرسالة للدراسات والبحوث الإنسانية