Who Got the Brexit Blues? The Effect of Brexit on Subjective Wellbeing in the <scp>UK</scp>

Powdthavee, Nattavudh; Plagnol, Anke C.; Frijters, Paul; Clark, Andrew E.

doi:10.1111/ecca.12304

Cited by 54 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…There is little published evidence to date regarding the potentially harmful psychological impact of the Brexit era, although one examination of the UK Household Longitudinal Study ('Understanding Society') reported a rise in average levels of psychological distress following the referendum, with no apparent difference in patterns of association observed between people who voted to 'Leave' versus those who voted to 'Remain'. 31 The study's authors concluded that levels of subjective well-being may have been both a cause and consequence of the slender national majority vote in favour of Brexit in 2016. These findings, as well as the disquieting correlations that our investigation has revealed, indicate a need for investigation of the psychological sequelae of the societal divisions and insecurities that have arisen before, during and following the 2016 national referendum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide rates and voting choice in the UK's 2016 national Brexit referendum on European Union membership: cross-sectional ecological investigation across England's local authority populations

et al. 2020

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Background Individual- and area-level risk factors for suicide are relatively well-understood but the role of macro social factors such as alienation, social fragmentation or ‘anomie’ is relatively underresearched. Voting choice in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union (EU) provides a potential measure of anomie. Aims To examine associations between percentage ‘Leave’ votes in the EU referendum and suicide rates in 2015–2017, the period just prior to, and following, the referendum. Method National cross-sectional ecological study of 315 English local authority populations. Associations between voting choice in the EU referendum and age-standardised suicide rates, averaged for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, were examined. Results Overall there was a weak, but statistically significant, positive correlation between the local authority-level percentage ‘Leave’ vote in 2016 and the suicide rate 2015–2017: Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = 0.17; P = 0.003. This relationship was explained by populations having an older age distribution, being more deprived and lacking ethnic diversity. However, there was divergence (likelihood ratio test for interaction, χ2 = 7.2, P = 0.007) in the observed associations between London and the provincial regions with Greater London having a moderately strong negative association (r = −0.40; P = 0.02) and the rest of England a weak positive association (r = 0.17; P = 0.004). Conclusions Deprivation, older age distribution and a lack of ethnic diversity seems to explain raised suicide risk in Brexit-voting communities. A greater sense of alienation among people feeling ‘left behind’/‘left out’ may have had some influence too, although multilevel modelling of individual- versus area-level data are needed to examine these complex relationships. The incongruent ecological relationship observed for London likely reflect its distinct social, economic and health context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide rates and voting choice in the UK's 2016 national Brexit referendum on European Union membership: cross-sectional ecological investigation across England's local authority populations

et al. 2020

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“…A similar approach, using a difference-in-differences econometric model with previous years as a control group, has been followed in previous studies in the absence of a control group involving a different population. 5,[26][27] The difference-in-differences econometric model is presented in Equation 1:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Covid-19, Lockdowns and Motor Vehicle Collisions: Empirical Evidence from Greece

Vandoros

2021

Preprint

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Reduced mobility during Covid-19 lockdowns means fewer vehicles at risk of collision, but also an opportunity to speed on empty streets. Other collision risk factors that have changed during the pandemic include alcohol consumption, sleeping patterns, distraction, unemployment and economic uncertainty. Evidence on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on motor vehicle collisions is scarce, as such statistics are often released with a delay. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of the first wave of the pandemic and the first lockdown on motor vehicle collisions and associated injuries and deaths in Greece. Using monthly data at the regional unit level, I provide descriptive evidence and subsequently follow a difference-in-difference econometric approach, comparing trends in 2020 to those of the previous five years while controlling for unemployment and petrol prices. I found a steep decline in collisions, injuries and deaths compared to what would have been otherwise expected. In March and April 2020, there were about 1,226 fewer collisions, 72 fewer deaths, 40 fewer serious injuries and 1,426 fewer minor injuries compared to what would have been expected in the absence of the pandemic.

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“…The UKHLS and its predecessor contain a rich set of subjective well-being measures and are widely used to study the determinants of well-being (see, for example, Clark (2019), Powdthavee et al (2019), Binder and Coad (2015) and Clark and Georgellis (2013)). Here, we focus on three key measures: job satisfaction, satisfaction with life overall, and mental distress as captured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).…”

Section: Outcomes Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going solo: how starting solo self-employment affects incomes and well-being

Mel¹,

Munshi²,

Reiche³

et al. 2020

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Using a large-scale panel data set, we trace the evolution of incomes and well-being around the entry into 'solo self-employment'-that is, running a business without employees. We find that solo selfemployment is used to self-insure against employment shocks: employment rates fall and poverty rates rise in the run-up to entry, and many who fell out of employment report being dismissed or made redundant from their previous job. However, their average earnings do not fully recover within three years of entry. For those who move into solo self-employment directly from employee jobs, for whom this transition is more likely to have been voluntary, earnings remain lower and poverty rates higher for at least two years after entry. Despite the effect on incomes, becoming solo self-employed is associated with improvements in well-being across a number of measures. We see a large and sustained rise in job satisfaction, even among groups who are likely to be using solo self-employment to self-insure. Comparing entries into solo self-employment with entries into or moves between employee jobs, we find that well-being trajectories are remarkably similar despite significantly lower earnings in solo selfemployment. This suggests that there may be intangible benefits that compensate for lower earnings, that (on average) apply even to those who are 'pushed' into solo self-employment.

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Who Got the Brexit Blues? The Effect of Brexit on Subjective Wellbeing in the UK

Cited by 54 publications

References 23 publications

Suicide rates and voting choice in the UK's 2016 national Brexit referendum on European Union membership: cross-sectional ecological investigation across England's local authority populations

Suicide rates and voting choice in the UK's 2016 national Brexit referendum on European Union membership: cross-sectional ecological investigation across England's local authority populations

Covid-19, Lockdowns and Motor Vehicle Collisions: Empirical Evidence from Greece

Going solo: how starting solo self-employment affects incomes and well-being

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