What does Google Search tell us about Brexit?

If you’re about to go vote on a historical referendum, you might want to check what your vote really means before you scribble a “yes” or “no” on that ballot. Judging from some of the latest trends of Google, quite a few Brits have done so only after Thursday’s Brexit referendum, in which the country voted to leave the European Union. According to Google Trends’ official Twitter account, there was a 250 percent spike for the “what happens if we leave the EU” query in Britain, shortly after the polls closed. The trend might indicate that a lot of voters didn’t really understand all the implications of the vote, but it could also be a reflection of voters’ surprise and uncertainty after the referendum results were publicly announced. Another search phrase that spiked post-vote, “Are we in or out of the EU,” indicates a degree of confusion amongst some British residents. Are they curious about the results of the referendum, or are they unsure whether the UK was ever a part of the European Union in the first place? Yes, Great Britain is still part of the European Union — for now. But while the referendum vote is not legally binding, the country is very likely to leave the Union at some point in the future.