Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This study includes transcripts of interviews conducted as part of the research project Identity, Belonging and the Role of the Media in Brexit Britain. These transcripts report verbatim on in-depth interviews conducted as part of ethnographic studies conducted in the South West, the East Midlands and North East of England. These interviews were designed to respond to the research question: What do individuals from different backgrounds and geographical locations believe about questions of immigration, place-based and national identity and European belonging in the face of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), and how does this reflect identity formations? The study authors were also concerned with individuals’ media practices and views on the Brexit process. The total number of interviews collected in total for this research was 180. Of these, 155 are included in the UKDS version due to confidentiality considerations.The interviews were conducted between October 2018 and January 2020 when the British government was negotiating the terms and conditions on which Britain would leave the EU.

Main Topics:

The interviews describe in rich detail how individuals living in the South West, East Midlands and North East of England perceived and experienced the ongoing Brexit process. The interview guide was designed to situate individuals’ views and experiences of Brexit in the context of their wider senses of belonging, or not, to their local place, the nation and Europe, as well as explore our interlocutors’ views and experiences of migration, and the media reporting of Brexit.

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview