Half of the advisers polled by technology firm Intelliflo would welcome Britain leaving the EU, with one in five saying a Brexit would have no impact on their clients’ wealth.
A referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU is set to be held on 23 June.
A survey of 169 Intelliflo Intelligent Office advisers this month, out of the company’s 14,650 user base, found just over a third said they wanted to stay part of Europe.
Nearly two thirds said that leaving will have a positive or no effect on the long-term future of the UK, while 38 per cent said leaving will have a negative effect and 16 per cent were undecided about whether to stay or go.
In terms of the impact leaving would have on their own businesses, the survey found: |
37 per cent said it would have no impact |
22 per cent said it would be positive |
17 per cent said it would be negative |
24 per cent said they did not understand enough about it yet to have an opinion |
Last week, Hargreaves Lansdown founder Peter Hargreaves admitted there will be short-term volatility whichever option voters choose on 23 June, but still backed the vote to leave the EU.
The firm he launched was quick to point out that he is no longer an employee or director of Hargreaves Lansdown and it will remain neutral in the debate.
Elsewhere in the Intelliflo survey, when asked about the impact they thought leaving the EU would have on the wealth of their clients, 21 per cent of advisers said it would only have a short-term impact, with one in 10 saying it would have a negative impact in the medium to long-term.
One in five did not believe it would impact on the wealth of their clients, while 18 per cent believed leaving the EU would have a positive impact on their clients’ wealth in the medium to long-term.
Nick Eatock, Intelliflo’s executive chairman, commented that with three months to go to the vote it’s clear there are many advisers who are still in the process of weighing up the benefits of staying or going.
“However, with half of those we polled saying they will vote ‘no’, it looks like the ‘yes’ campaign have got their work cut out over the coming weeks.”
peter.walker@ft.com
