Eu Referendum: Brits Googling ‘What is the EU?’ after voting to leave it

Hours after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, its residents wondered, what is the EU, anyway?

In a tweet, the tech company claimed this was the second top search term in the U.K. since the vote on the decision for a British Exit, or Brexit, was officially announced.

Some are saying a sharp uptick in searches posing basic questions about the European Union and Brexit suggests that many Britons weren’t clear on the details of what they were voting on.

"What is the EU?" is the second top UK question on the EU since the #EURefResults were officially announced pic.twitter.com/1q4VAX3qcm

— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) June 24, 2016

Other common questions on Google search in recent hours include: “How many countries are in the EU?” “Which countries are in the EU” and “What does it mean to leave the EU?”

The vote was remarkably close with the campaign to leave the EU winning 52 percent to 48 percent.

The results led the the FTSE 100 to plunge eight percent and Prime Minister David Cameron to announce plans to step down in October. The financial uncertainty led some voters to suggest they’re regretting their vote to leave the EU.

The Washington Post noted that a British woman named Mandy, who voted in favor of an exit, told ITV that since the reality of the vote has hit her, she has realized that she would choose to stay with the EU if she were given the chance to vote again.

Agencies/Canadajournal