‘We’re not happy and no-one is listening’: politicised Brexit identities and the UK European Referendum

We applied a social identity approach to understand how Brexit identities emerged and were negotiated following the UK EU Referendum. A thematic analysis of 361 UK survey responses explored how salient politicised Brexit identities were constructed and experienced among Leavers, Remainers, and Non-voters. Participants described feeling unheard, expressing low political trust, and using votes or abstention to seek change. Leavers emphasised national identity and sovereignty, whereas Remainers mourned perceived European identity losses and belonging. Findings demonstrated within-group dissent, affective polarisation and often overlooked Non-voter perspectives, highlighting the continuing relevance of Brexit identities for UK politics, social divisions, and belonging.