Why did your area vote as it did?

[3amEternal]

I voted remain and was quite shocked that my area voted so strongly for leave. Shocked as we border London and jobs are plentiful, house prices are high which has benefitted our high proportion of baby boomers. Trying to understand I think the following factor in: high proportion of older conservative voters (labour has never been 'in'), high proportion of Eastern European young families coupled with overcrowded and poorly funded schools, lack of investment in housing, crumbling infrastructure and poorly kept communal areas (where they have been unable to sell them off they let them go). I cannot think of a single EU funded project in the entire area so I don't think people have seen any 'visible' benefit. This is all the fault of central and local government of course but I bet the Tory MP who has been useless for years and doesn't even live in the area gets voted back in. Just musings really...

[MajesticWhine]

My borough voted 75% remain. It's liberal north London with a high immigrant population. mixed demographically but fairly wealthy on the whole. There was every reason to vote for the status quo. Some members of my family live in the Midlands in a middle class area, where there are hardly any immigrants; the area voted strongly to leave. It's a vote based on fear of immigration, not actual immigration.

[SprogletsMum]

My area voted almost 70% leave. I can only assume it's because it's a poor area with a huge influx of immigrants and no jobs and rubbish housing.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

My area was about 50/50.

I know about six people who voted for leave. The rest very definitely remain.

I think the result surprised everyone.

[MooPointCowsOpinion]

Lots of leavers here, I assume it's the high proportion of disaffected white working class. We don't have high levels of non-British nationals here, but immigration is a key talking point, and I don't understand why. It seems like people just feel unhappy and are fed a story that they then regurgitate.

[crossroads3]

I am in Brent in North West London which voted 60 / 40 in favour of remain. Probably because the more diverse the population, the less of a problem "immigration" is perceived as being? It can't only be that however.

I would say that the more outward looking a place, the less likely it is to want to batten down the hatches and close out neighbours and "outsiders". Which will have been the attitude of some (though obviously not all) leavers.

[kirinm]

My Borough voted in - 72%. I would say we are a hugely diverse borough predominately non EU migrants though rather than EU. I wouldn't say the entire Borough is wealthy. Certainly parts of it but we moved here because it was cheaper than lots of other areas.

[titchy]

70% remain. Affluent intelligent professionals - London commuter belt. Pity our MP is firmly on the leave side - so much for representing your constituents

[Chippednailvarnishing]

63% voted to leave.

I'm surprised as a large part of the local economy is from the financial services industry in the city.

That said quite a few people voted leave due to immigration and now realise that it was probably a wasted vote...

[scissormister]

Largest proportion of Remain votes in our city. Area popular with university lecturers, etc many of whom are from the EU, especially Germany. Generally a typical Guardian reading, posh, wealthy middle-class / upper-middle-class suburb.

[lovelyupnorth]

Remain - lib dem rural area. One of the few up north.

[Wait4nothing]

70% leave 😞
We do have EU immigrants and many in lower paid jobs (that the unemployed won't take!) and racism is a problem.
It is in an area that previously had coal mines.
I don't know of any EU funded projects but I'm not from the area and would be very surprised if there wasn't any.

[neolara]

75% in. Hugely cosmopolitan, intellectual, affluent University town.

[SanityClause]

My area was 51 remain/49 leave.

It's a conservative stronghold, but in greater London.

Nigel Farage lives just down the road, and he has a god child in one of my DC's classes in school (this person is half french!)

It's an affluent area. There are lots of immigrants from all over, as you would expect for a London borough.

The only people I actually know who voted out live in a next door borough. One of these did so because she thought there were too many immigrants. I pointed out that I am one. She tried to reassure me that she didn't mean "immigrants like me". So that's all right. I'm a racist-approved immigrant, then.

Disclaimer - I do not believe that all leavers are racist, nor even that all racists voted leave.

[ReallyTired]

My area was 50-50. There is a good proportion of wealthy graduates, but also a disaffected white working class population.

I think the EU is great if you are wealthy or skilled. It's brilliant for the better off to have a generous supply of unskilled people to do unpleasant jobs for a pittance. An over supply if unskilled labour is bad news if you are unskilled and your pay is under cut.

I think the wealthy people of the U.K. have got what they deserved. The middle class "labour" MPs and London labour voters have no understanding or empathy with low income voters in Sunderland. No political party other than UKIP has offered any solution to the dwindling supply of unskilled work. Even UKIP has just used immigrants as a dangerous scapegoat rather than getting rid of the problem.

We need our country to become less London centric and think about the welfare of all our citzens. Ex coal mining or ship building areas need more than a token investment. Eye need to ensure that all areas of the U.K. can access good education. It is shocking that Knowsley has no a level provision.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-36046503

[SanityClause]

Incidentally, I was out today with three friends. One is Dutch. She and her English husband have run successful businesses in London over the course of the last 30 years. They employ a large number of people, and pay a lot of tax.

She was not allowed to vote.

I am from a commonwealth country, so neither European nor British.

I was allowed to vote.

[Leviticus]

Ours was pretty evenly split but leave won.

White middle class area. A lot of Daily Express readers...

[crossroads3]

I think the wealthy people of the U.K. have got what they deserved.

Coming out of the EU will make all of us poorer. The people who will feel this the most are the people at the "bottom". Their disenfranchisement and poverty has not been caused by the EU, but by successive UK governments who have ignored their needs completely.

[ReallyTired]

"The people who will feel this the most are the people at the "bottom". Their disenfranchisement and poverty has not been caused by the EU, but by successive UK governments who have ignored their needs completely."

Exactly! People who voted for austerity are not the people who have suffered as a result of cuts to benefits, disablity cuts, the bedroom tax. The worst that has happened to the wealthy is the loss of child benefit. In fact many higher tax payers and better off pensioners have not had to pay more in tax. The poor or those with families have borne the brunt of austerity.

Most remain voters have been insulated from the affects of austerity by wealth. Better educated people tend to earn more. They voted remain because remaining in the EU is in their interest, just like voting Conservative was in their interest.

[Kummerspeck]

68% Leave. Deprived area, low wage economy, awful housing stock, huge social problems

Someone said to me it's like scratchcards/lottery tickets. If most of us have a tough week we probably would not spend our last pound or two on one but, when every week is that tough, you'll take a chance on going without a bit if there's a chance of things getting better.
My friends who are worried about hard times ahead are the ones who are currently managing financially. Those who are struggling or living on the breadline are saying they'll manage in the hope that things will get better in the future

[crossroads3]

Most remain voters have been insulated from the affects of austerity by wealth. Better educated people tend to earn more. They voted remain because remaining in the EU is in their interest, just like voting Conservative was in their interest.

I voted remain (and have never voted Tory) and am far far from anywhere close to wealthy. There are loads of struggling people in London - massive rents / zero hour contracts / low wages / insecure jobs.... My borough is one of the most deprived in London - yet still it came out in favour of remain.

[crossroads3]

(But it's true that there is deprivation and much worse deprivation).

[lljkk]

58% leave in my area which was lower than I expected.
Very conservative, UKIP does very well here, rural.
Medium economy, not deprived, not affluent.
Older profile, one of the oldest median age places in UK.
Few skilled jobs, not a lot of employment full stop.
Older people believe UK doesn't need to be nice to other countries or compromise or collaborate, (I reckon).
Only 3.5% not born in UK, so maybe high fear of unknown type people.

[NicknameUsed]

"My area voted almost 70% leave."

Same here. It's because they are a load of ignorant xenophobes. We have one of the smallest ethnic minorities in the UK, and the BNP even managed to get a foot in the door a few years ago.

Disclaimer: My mother was an immigrant and I voted Remain.

[SilverBirchWithout]

I live in one of the few rural counties in England which voted to remain (53-54%).

What I can't understand is why Oxfordshire and Berkshire were different from other similar fairly affluent counties?

[Bumbledumb]

What I can't understand is why Oxfordshire and Berkshire were different from other similar fairly affluent counties?

Well I guess it has something to do with the facts that Oxford has the university and the Reading area is the centre of the UK's IT industry.