Almost two thirds (65%) of people in Northern Ireland believe the economy will suffer as a result of Brexit according to new research from Core, Ireland’s largest marketing communications company.
The ‘NI Brexit Barometer’ research was conducted to measure how the six counties in Northern Ireland feel towards Brexit and how it will impact their lives.
According to the survey, 58% are pessimistic about the general economic situation for the year ahead. While 16% of people in the south said managing the impact of Brexit should be the national priority, 24% in Northern Ireland said Brexit should be the region’s main priority. This was the number one concern for the younger generation with 29% saying it should be the top priority.
While flying to the UK was the main concern for people in the south, Northern Irish consumers were mainly concerned about their car costs and groceries. 63% believe buying petrol and diesel will be a worse experience post Brexit, while 61% are worried about purchasing groceries post Brexit.
One of the greatest concerns Northern Irish people have is the impact Brexit will have on crossing the border, particularly those under 40. This figure is higher in the south with 69% saying they were anxious about the impact on travelling across the border. 67% of people in the south are concerned over the impact Brexit will have on the peace process, while this figure is less in the North with 58% believing Brexit will impact on relationships between the UK and Ireland.
People also believe they will be worse off when it comes to a range of purchasing behaviours, particularly food and fuel.
According to Finian Murphy, Marketing Director of Core: What we can see from this second wave of the Brexit Barometer is that while there are many areas which British and Irish politicians cannot agree on, the citizens of the North tend to be in agreement with the citizens in the south. The young generation in particular understand that every-day essentials like buying food or fuel will be impacted and that in the long-term, they worry about the peace process and that the economy will suffer.”
Core’s Northern Ireland ‘Brexit Barometer’ report is based on a sample size of 300 people, representative of the Northern Ireland population. The Research was conducted between 2nd September – 8th September 2019.
