Argus EU poll: How you voted

Argus readers are overwhelmingly in favour of the UK leaving the European Union, an online poll has found.

Results of a survey on the Argus website showed 67.7 per cent were planning on voting to leave the union later this week – more than twice as many of those who supported remaining within Europe at 29.7 per cent. The remaining 2.6 per cent of the 1,336 participants did not specify how they would vote.

This is a stark contrast to recent national polls, which have put the two campaigns neck and neck with just days to go until the crunch vote on June 23.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 27.7 per cent of those who specified they would vote in favour of leaving the EU named immigration as one of their top priorities. Exactly the same number said policing and security and cost of the membership were among the most serious concerns, while 25.9 per cent listed the EU’s impact on work and pay as a key issue.

Trade and farming and fishing were also emerged as concerns among many, with 25.6 per cent and 25.1 per cent listing them as key issues respectively. Education and research, consumer affairs and travel and living abroad came further down the agenda.

The list of priorities among respondents who said they would vote for the UK to remain within the EU was markedly different, with the greatest proportion, 62.5 per cent, listing the impact on trade as their top concern.

Work and pay was also cited as a key issue, with 58.9 per cent saying it was important, while 44.6 per cent said they were concerned about the impact on travel and living abroad and 42.3 per cent listed education and research as important.

Policing and security was named as a priority by 35.3 per cent of pro-EU respondents, with immigration, which topped the list of Brexit campaigner’s concerns coming in sixth with 22.9 per cent.

Consumer affairs, farming and fishing and cost of membership came at the bottom of the agenda.

Respondents also had the chance to make their views heard in their own words in the survey , with the most common issues raised by those who said they would vote to leave the EU including, again, the impact of immigration on the UK, particularly the NHS, as well the perceived unaccountability of Europe and the loss of control of UK laws.

One pro-Brexit participant said: “An unbelievably hard decision, especially being of Ukrainian decent.

“But as a Welsh speaking national, being a minority locally and having no control of our borders is a massive cause for concern.

“The huge influx of people seeking 'a better life' has placed, and will increase the pressures, on literally everything that matters.

“Immigration is a good thing, however a point system similar to Australia makes perfect sense.

“On the flip side, if we decide to leave, then we face to Tories on our own.

“Decisions, decisions.”

Another wrote: “I feel the original reason for the EU as a trading partnership was a reasonable idea and good for everyone.

“As it has expanded it has included areas which I feel should be controlled by individual countries.

“We are all very different people culturally.

“It is a very expensive and hierarchical organisation.”

Other, perhaps less serious, issues raised included “lack of chicken pies” and “people walking around with clip boards like parasites".

Additional issues raised by pro-EU participants included the ease of travel around Europe, funding brought into the UK as a result of its membership of the organisation and – most importantly – the availability of Belgian wheat beer.

One said people may benefit from the UK’s membership of the EU without realising it, saying: “Newport people have received a lot of funding for large and small projects across the city which has benefitted the local communities.

“This financial support has not been influenced by political parties or religious groups.”

Another wrote: “There is clearly a need for reform of the EU – it is ridiculous that countries like France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands are net beneficiaries.

“However it is as clear as day that membership of an organisation that accounts for 44 per cent of our exports is in our best interest.”

And a third said: “As someone who works in an industry surrounding jobs and my partner in a job that is ESF (European Social Fund) funding, I think of how my child age three will manage when he is older.

“Where will the education funding come from?”

A heated debate on the issues at hand was also held on the Argus website.

User martinia said: “I vote leave lets govern ourselves not from Europe.

“I expect to lose but remember when your dentist is full your doctor appointment is weeks your kids school is full the roads are choked we can thank the remain camp.”

Meanwhile dradnodianiesta, who said they were undecided about how they would vote, wrote: “Net immigration is 333,000 which apart from a few hotspots in the UK (none in Wales) adds little demand to services.

Half of those are non EU so would be here after exit.

The EU half would get working visas anyway if we were out and it will take 10 years to exit.

The schools, doctors and dentists are not full and many of our health workers and teachers are immigrants.

There's a lot more to the debate than immigration but if that's your thing - be assured in or out will make no difference to net immigration.”

Similar to a standard election, the referendum votes will be counted once polls close at 10pm on Thursday, with results expected early on Friday morning. Each constituency will have its own count before an overall cross-Wales result is put together in Flintshire in north Wales, followed by the overall UK result declared later in the day.

The Argus will be reporting live from all the counts in Gwent throughout Thursday evening and Friday morning at southwalesargus.co.uk.