New research from Opus Energy has revealed that 51% of SME owners have shared their opinion around Brexit.
23% of respondents sharing their opinion with employees and fellow colleagues at work, and 43% discussing how they will vote with their family. Less than a third of decision makers (30%) have kept their opinion to themselves, with size of business seemingly influencing their decision to share their thoughts. Those most likely to share their views were those working for SMEs with more than 100 employees (19% not sharing their opinions), with smaller businesses remaining more secretive (a quarter).
Louise Boland, MD for Opus Energy commented: “Brexit is a divisive issue and it’s interesting to see that voting preferences are not as secretive as years gone by due to the increase in channels available to us. Previously, few would have openly declared how they would vote, but now SME owners and decision makers are not only discussing how they will vote with fellow employees, but also broadcasting it on digital channels. This shift in behaviour really does demonstrate the power of digital communications in everyday life and how our attitudes to ‘private’ issues such as voting preferences have evolved.”
The Opus Energy data revealed that women were more likely to share their opinion (72%) on Brexit than men (68%). However, men were more likely to openly discuss or share their opinion with colleagues (27%) compared with 19% of women. Of those who are voting to leave the EU, 30% of decision makers have shared their views with colleagues, while 23% who want to stay in have discussed with employees.