New Findings on Key Factors Influencing the UK's Referendum on Leaving the EU

We find that higher education is the predominant factor dividing the nation, with a marginal effect on the referendum decision being stronger than any other factors particularly in England and Wales, where most Leave voters reside. An increase of about 3% in the proportion of British adults accessing to higher education in England and Wales could have reversed the referendum result in the UK. We also find that areas in England and Wales with a lower unemployment rate tend to have a higher turnout to support Leave while areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland with a higher proportion of university-educated British adults have a higher turnout to support Remain. Further we find that areas with high proportions of British male adults show a higher percentage of Leave votes. A higher proportion of elderly British contributes to a higher percentage of Leave votes, but does not lead to Leave outcomes on their own.