A study of EU citizens living in the UK has revealed the “open wound” left by Brexit, and respondents say the decision to leave the bloc had made them feel betrayed, insecure and suspicious of the UK. country that, however, most are still home to.
The survey of EU citizens from 22 countries, most of whom had been in the UK for more than five years and stayed since Brexit, showed “a profound and lasting impact on life and a sense of identity and membership of EU citizens in the United Kingdom “. said the authors.
“The public narrative may suggest that Brexit is over and erased, and everyone has moved on,” said the report’s lead author, Professor Nando Sigona of the University of Birmingham. “But for EU citizens, Brexit remains an open wound.”
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The study, EU Citizens in the UK after Brexit, showed that rebuilding confidence in British institutions and politicians would be a challenge when “the ramifications of Brexit still have such profound consequences” on the lives of British citizens. EU, Sigona said.
Respondents said Brexit had significantly affected their view of Britain. While 72% still felt some emotional connection to the UK, 89% said their views on the country had changed – 68.6% to “a lot” or “a lot” – since the 2016 referendum. .
The report was asked to provide three words to summarize what Britain means to them, but many offered terms such as “home” and “love”, which reflect the residual strength of the ties of British citizens. EU with the country they had made at home.
However, positive responses were overwhelmed by words such as “disappointment,” “betrayed,” “sadness,” “frustration,” “anger,” “unwanted,” and “disgusted.” Free text responses to the survey echoed the predominantly negative sentiment.
“I was at home here,” said a 43-year-old Dutchman. “Since the referendum … people still ask me where I come from and when I come home, but those questions have lost their innocence.” Another 40-year-old Dutchman said: “I moved here as part of the same philosophy; now I feel that this common idea is gone and I feel like an immigrant. “
Others said Brexit had changed their view of their home country: “I feel more German and more attached to Germany since 2016,” said a 45-year-old German woman in the UK.
Many of the 364 respondents contrasted their view of their home country with their perception of post-Brexit Britain. “I hope that my country of origin will never become as unjust and xenophobic as the United Kingdom is now,” said a 62-year-old French woman.
Surprisingly, Brexit also seems to have proved “a real trigger for pro-EU sentiment,” Sigona said, with more than 90% of respondents saying they have felt at least moderately linked to the bloc since Brexit. The words offered in support of this sentiment included “belonging,” “peace,” “freedom,” “unity,” and “movement.”
A 52-year-old French woman who had returned to France said she “took the EU for granted before Brexit”, but that “she was now aware of how precious she is, even if it is not perfect”. A 44-year-old Italian woman said that “she had never paid much attention to what she represented or what the EU was doing”, but that now “the defense of the lies that were placed in the press”.
Not surprisingly, the 96-question survey, conducted between December 2021 and January 2022, a year after the end of the transition period, found that most EU citizens settled in the UK, often part of households multigenerational, they planned to stay. More than half had permanent legal personality and more than 30% had dual nationality.
Of the approximately 30% who had changed country since the referendum, the main reasons mentioned were family or partner (25%), Brexit (17%), work (16%) and studies (14%). , with the “Brexit” multitude of emotional, political and practical considerations.
However, among respondents in the UK, even if the majority had an established status or British citizenship, immigration and residency status was a primary concern, as the different situation of various family members, including parents or grandparents in the EU, it affected family relationships and shaped future plans.
There was also widespread concern that the state of the settlement was only digital, with no paper evidence. “Given the lack of confidence in UK immigration authorities, many people still do not feel secure,” Sigona said. “They are also concerned about not being able to take care of relatives outside the UK, for example.”
A 64-year-old French woman, born in the UK for over 40 years, said: “I can barely express how hurt I am. I came to the UK in 1979 and worked for the NHS. I felt betrayed, unheard. “I started to feel anxious. I decided to apply for British citizenship, not because I wanted to be British, but because I could go back to sleep at night. When I got my British passport, I spat it out.”