When the web helps us understand society. Once again, Google Trends statistics make an impact: we’re talking about Brexit, and in the air, we begin to feel the spread of Bregret.

A few days ago, the search engine decided to share data on some searches made by British users after the result of the referendum that marked a historic date: on June 23, 2016, 52% of the more than 30 million voters in the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union.

After several months of campaigning for the referendum, some questions should have appeared more prominently before the vote. However, Google Trends data reveals that many British voters were unsure about what “Brexit” meant.
On Twitter, Google shows the uncertainty of the British after the vote, with a list of the most commonly searched queries. Among them, the top question was “What does leaving the EU mean?” with a 250% increase right after the polls closed. An even more surprising query was “What is the EU?” which spiked after the announcement. These results certainly suggest that a portion of British voters were notably uninformed, or rather, poorly informed about the topic.

Among the statistics related to Northern Ireland, after the first results, the query “What is Brexit?” appears in the top spot: shouldn’t they have asked this question earlier? Moreover, in Northern Ireland, as well as in Scotland and Wales, the question “What will happen if we leave the EU?” reveals a widespread atmosphere of concern, which is easily understandable and also predictable.

Several days after the referendum, we are starting to hear about “Bregret“, referring to the second thoughts of the British people on the leave/remain issue. In some interviews published after the result, those who voted “leave” comment that they imagined a completely different outcome, or that they had underestimated the consequences, and now they are questioning the future.

Meanwhile, voters who supported “remain” have launched a petition for the government to change the referendum law, allowing for a second referendum. The petition has already gone viral and, to date, has gathered over 4 million signatures.

A certain late realization is emerging: the surge in these queries should have occurred before the vote, rather than just a few hours after the announcement. One final question worth mentioning, as it saw a 100% spike after the result, is “how to get an Irish passport.” Certainly, there are many uncertainties about what the future holds.

Today, we also ask ourselves what the European Union truly is, and we hope that Europe understands the need for greater cohesion between nations. Google, I have one last question for you: what future awaits all of us young European citizens, eager to travel, discover, learn, and understand this Europe?