Hours after voting to leave, Brits are googling ‘What is the EU?’

As the world reels in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, Google has reported sharp upticks in searches that inquire not only about the ballot measure, but just basic information on what the implications of Brexit could be. According to the Washington Post, the search question “what happens if we leave the EU” had more than tripled.

Awakening to a stock market plunge and a precipitous decline in the value of the pound that Britain hasn’t seen in more than 30 years, voters now face a series of economic shocks that analysts say will only worsen before they improve. The consequences of the leave vote will be felt worldwide, even here in the United States, and some British voters say they now regret casting a ballot in favor of Brexit.

“Even though I voted to leave, this morning I woke up and I just — the reality did actually hit me,” one woman told ITV News. “If I’d had the opportunity to vote again, it would be to stay.”

Also read: David Cameron resigns as Prime Minister of the U.K.

According to Google Trends, Britons didn’t seem all that clear on what would happen if they left the EU – or what the EU even is.

From the Washington Post:

What is the E.U.? To be fair, that question will now take on a much deeper significance than perhaps Google’s users realized when they typed that into their browsers.

Featured image: businesspost.ie

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.

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