Top five issues
To understand the importance of the EU issue, it’s important first to understand the top issues that concern British adults. In December 2025, Ipsos reported that the British public’s top five issues mentioned were immigration/immigrants (46%), economy (32%), NHS/hospitals/healthcare (27%), inflation/prices (19%), and taxation (13%) (Figure 17.1).
By contrast, less than 5% mentioned EU/Europe/Brexit as a top issue in December 2025 (Figure 17.2).
Ipsos has polled British adults on their top concerns since 1974.
Figure 17.1: Top five concerns mentioned in December 2025
EU/Europe/Brexit as a top issue
The fewer than 5% that mentioned the EU/Europe/Brexit was close to the low of 2%, just after the June 2024 General Election (see Figure 17.2).
In the decade or so preceding the referendum, the EU was not a top issue. Throughout the period 2005 – 2013, it was mentioned by less than 10% of adults, and by only slightly more in 2014 and 2015:
- in 2010, the EU was a top issue for only 1% of adults after Cameron became Prime Minister, but rose sharply to 40%, following the launch of David Cameron’s EU referendum;
- its importance peaked at 72% in March 2019, during the Brexit negotiations:
- by December 2019, half (52%) saw it as the single biggest concern, at the time of the General Election;
- it rose to 60% as a top concern in December 2020, the deadline for the UK-EU trade negotiations;
- since then, the importance of EU/Europe/Brexit has steadily declined to very low levels.
Figure 17.2: Adults who see EU/Europe/Brexit as one of the most important issues facing Britain today (%) – December 2025
