EU
STUDY

QuoteSearcher has commissioned a YouGov survey of 683 SME decision makers to investigate their opinions on a potential UK exit from the European Union and get a feel for how owners of small to medium sized businesses think an EU exit would impact their businesses.

Below is an interactive graph detailing the answers to each question, broken down by industry, age, annual turnover, location and the respondents’ political leanings. To use this graph, select a question and then add your own filters. We also have details of what we feel are some key insights from the data below.

In general, which ONE, if any, of the following political parties do you personally most agree with?
(If you do not agree with any political party, please select the "not applicable" option)

Thinking about the upcoming referendum on Britain's membership in the EU…Do you think a British exit from the EU will have a negative or positive effect on your company’s relationships with its customers/ clients or will it have no effect at all?

To what extent, if at all, do you think a British exit from the EU will make it more or less difficult for your business to hire staff from outside of the UK but within the EU?

Do you think a British exit from the EU will increase or decrease the general level of skill and ability of the workforce in your business?

Third of entrepreneurs under the age of 35 believe an EU exit will have a negative effect on their customer relationships

49% of young entrepreneurs thought that an EU exit would ultimately have a negative effect on their customers. This was not reflected in older entrepreneurs - 52% of the over 55’s and 45% of the 45-54 year olds said it would have no effect.

66% of all small enterprise decision makers believe their ability to hire will not be affected by an EU exit - because they do not hire staff from outside the UK

However, those from medium sized enterprises had a different perspective, with 30% believing it would become harder to get the skills they need and 33% believing that their hiring ability would not be affected.

Could an EU-exit affect the North’s staff skills the most?

29% of SME decision makers in the North East believe an EU-exit will decrease the general level of skill and ability of the workforce in their businesses. This is the highest in any region, with the West Midlands being the lowest with only 3% believing it will have a negative effect.

There's a clear Left/Right wing divide on the issue

65% of SME owners who vote for Labour and the Lib Dem's also believe that an EU exit will affect their ability to hire staff from the EU, while 55% of SME's who vote for either the Conservatives or UKIP believe it will have no impact on their ability to import skills from abroad.

EUSTUDY

In general, which ONE, if any, of the following political parties do you personally most agree with?(If you do not agree with any political party, please select the "not applicable" option)