Almost two in three (65%) older people in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU (compared to 56% of all voters in Northern Ireland and 48% of voters across the UK).

More than one in three (35%) older people voted to leave the EU, with those most likely to vote leave being people aged 80 or over (43%), men (39%) and those from a rural area (38%).

If given the chance to vote again, around 1 in 12 (85) older people would vote differently. The response differed according to the original vote cast, with around 1 in 8 (12%) ‘leavers’ wishing to change their vote and 1 in 20 (5%) ‘remainers’ wishing to do so.

When voting, more than nine out of ten (92%) older people considered the impact the result would have on younger generations.

More than half (52%) of respondents believe older people have been villianised following the publication of [older vs younger] voting patterns in the EU Referendum vote, with more than half 53% personally experiencing negativity about the outcome of the Brexit vote.

Three out of four (76%) older people are concerned about the potential impact Brexit will have on them.

The biggest concern amongst older people is regarding freedom of movement e.g. free transport across the border, with seven out of ten (70%) concerned about this issue.

Two in five (39%) believe their rights as an older person will be weakened.

One in three (32%) older people believe Brexit will be a positive change for Northern Ireland.

Funder
Transitional Justice Institute CAJ