With just nine days until the referendum, there’s still millions of people who feel left in the dark.
This month we published polling showing that only 24% of voters say they feel ‘well’ or ‘very well’ informed about the EU referendum. And 22% of people still haven’t had any contact at all about the vote – despite the government’s pro-EU mail-out to every household in April and an Electoral Commission leaflet in May.
That’s a huge problem for our democracy, and leaves three quarters of people who don’t feel clued up for when they go to the ballot box on the 23rd.
As we’ve said before, it doesn’t have to be this way.
We and leading universities from across the UK have created a new toolkit – Better Referendum – to allow you to organise meetups to get the facts and opinions on the EU referendum.
But you don’t have to do it in groups – you can do it yourself and get informed in the issues that matter to you, from the comfort of your own home. Easy.
With Better Referendum, you can find out both sides of the debate. We’ve drawn in the official Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe Campaigns – as well as analysis from independent experts on: Social Policy Issues, Regions and Nations, Crime and Security, Economic Impact, Migration and Work.
This is an exciting project which we hope will do something to close the gaping knowledge gap when it comes to the EU referendum. And we want to see it as widely used as possible.
So, organise a meetup if you can – invite a few friends or family members round, get some snacks and have a decent discussion. But if not, why not inform yourself ahead of polling?
Given the dire state of the campaign and debate so far – we’re sure you’ll agree – it’s pretty essential to do your own research! And now you’ve got the resources you need in one place.
There’s not long left until the referendum. Clue yourself up today and spread the word: http://www.betterreferendum.org.uk/eu/find-the-facts/
If you’re in Manchester tonight, there’s Better Referendum event at Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street (M2 5NS), which is free to attend. Register here.
And if you’re based in London, you can go to Saturday’s Better Referendum meetup in Sutton. Join us and local MPs Tom Brake and Paul Scully for a free morning of discussion about the issues surrounding the EU referendum. Register here.