pvr said:
I was very surprised to see such a direct correlation between age and voting behaviour.
Me too. Very surprised at the result in general, in fact. Like you I was expecting the bookies to be right with their prediction of a comfortable majority for Remain.
It's been really interesting reading everybody's posts (even the shouty ones). This is clearly not a one dimensional issue and it is much harder to identify with any one set of opinions than it has been for recent political milestones (Scottish independence vote, general election, London mayoral election etc). I honestly never thought I'd vote any differently from my parents, for example, but I believe both of them voted to leave, with my dad and I basically having the same views, but him falling on one side of the fence and me, the other. For him, it seems to be the additional years of putting up with the EU not really being seen to work well enough to justify its expense and the fairly distasteful behaviour of some of its leaders, that has made the difference. For me, the benefits of economic union and a more inclusive culture are worth the rather ugly implications of political union, and I wish that these things had been better communicated by the Remain campaign to those who have only ever seen the downsides.
Also interesting that this poll shows a forum preference for "leave". Wouldn't say that The Great Unwashed are particularly well represented here, so again, that's food for thought. I have a feeling that it's the older gents that have swung this - no disrespect, lads! - but again, while it's amusing to think that those with less years left on this planet are deciding the future of the younger voter, it's a silly reason to dismiss their viewpoint and the wisdom that comes with age.
So I'm pretty gutted at the result, but it's one worth paying attention to and treating as respectfully as possible. I'd still vote Remain - if anything, I feel stronger about this now than when I voted - but it has made me think a lot about how, as a 30-something, living in London and marrying into a Scottish family, I need to work harder to form my own political opinions and not just go with the flow.