A great many reasons have been put forth to try and explain the vote by the UK to leave the European Union in 2016, from concerns about sovereignty or control over immigration. New research from the University of Exeter suggests that Brexit, and other separatist causes like Scottish independence, might be driven by a feeling of being misunderstood.
The research examined any links between feeling listened to and understood, and political views. The researchers were particularly keen to understand if people felt more understood by British politicians or European politicians, but they also explored Protest-Catholic relations in Ireland, and Basque-Spanish relations in Spain.
In each, a feeling of being poorly understood by the other group was dramatically linked to high levels of separatism. For instance, among Basque people, just one point lower on a seven-point “understanding” scale led to a 600% increase in desire for independence.
Feeling understood
This feeling of being understood was also crucial in terms of trust and forgiveness, with people who felt understood by people from the other group much more likely to trust them.
“Our research demonstrates the critical role of ‘felt understanding’ in relations between groups of people,” the researchers say. “When people – individually and collectively – feel that those around them aren’t ‘getting’ their point of view, and if people feel they lack the ability to determine their own future, you get responses that are about ‘taking back control’.
They argue that these kind of sepratist intentions are often simply about making their voices heard, as voting is essentially an act of communication, although the researchers accept that it’s often hard to truly communicate what voters mean with their vote.
Wanting out
The researchers found that felt understanding was a stronger predictor of separatism than things such as beliefs about the “out-group”, or indeed “meta-beliefs”, such as what people think the out-group thought about them. It even seemed to be more important than factors such as age or education.
The findings underline the importance of not only giving people a voice, but making sure that they’re heard when they air that voice, even if it’s an incorrect voice.
“Even if people have been brought to a belief by misinformation, it doesn’t mean their belief is insincere,” the researchers explain. “One of the worst ways to change such a belief is to tell people their views aren’t genuine, or that they are fools. The first step is to ask people why they hold a particular belief, and to listen to the answer.”
This should go beyond merely pretending to agree, and involve actually listening and understanding people’s point of view, even if it’s a perspective you ultimately disagree with.
