NEW research from YouGov has revealed that there is a lack of clarity among the public regarding which parties do and do not support Brexit.
While the SNP are recognised by 65% of the UK public as an anti-Brexit party, only 53% of people believed the same could be said for the LibDems.
Meanwhile, the newly-launched Change UK party (also known as The Independent Group) was viewed as anti-Brexit by only 38%, while 49% either did not know where they stood or thought they were neither for or against leaving the EU.
The Brexit Party, which launched around the same time as Change UK, was recognised as being pro-Brexit by a whopping 79%.
The lack of recognition for Change UK’s stance will likely worry the party, given that opposition to Brexit is essentially the only concrete stance they have so far adopted.
However, knowledge of Change UK’s anti-Brexit policy jumped to 47% when looking specifically at those who intend to vote in the upcoming EU election.
Voters are also clued-up on Ukip’s position which 71% of respondents said was pro-Brexit.
The Liberal Democrats and Greens also saw a boost in their recognised position when counting only those who intend to vote for them.
At the same time, nearly a quarter (24%) of people said the Tories were anti-Brexit despite the Government’s plan to deliver a deal to leave the EU, and just 37% said the party are pro-Brexit. About one in five (19%) said the Conservatives were not for or against Brexit, and 20% said they didn’t know where the party stood.
The results highlight a “missed opportunity” for parties to have communicated effectively with the public, according to YouGov’s lead data journalist Matthew Smith.
He said: “The disparity between the awareness among the most dedicated party supporters and the likely electorate and public at large represents a huge missed opportunity in terms of possible support that has been squandered by failing to make even their most basic messaging public knowledge.”
The survey collected responses from 1730 people across the UK on April 24 and 25.
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