Football hero David Beckham has backed remain – but does anyone care?
From Benedict Cumberbatch to Keith Chegwin, a host of “celebrities” have urged the British public to vote one way or the other in the upcoming EU referendum.
Two days before the polls open, Beckham is one of the biggest names to back the remain campaign but psephologists are unconvinced it will achieve a positive result.
John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and a senior research fellow at NatCen Social Research, questioned whether celebrity endorsements had any significant impact.
“It certainly helps grab the attention of the media,” he said. “Whether a man who can put a ball in the corner of the net is going to make people think differently though?”
He added: “The equivalent last time was Andy Murray coming out in favour of independence on the eve of the [Scottish referendum] vote. Yes still lost.”
Bobby Duffy, Ipsos Mori’s managing director of social research, said: “There’s no clear evidence that any type of endorsements like these have any impact.
“What is important for the campaign is the background context. It just adds weight to a general sense of people supporting the remain campaign.
“In campaign terms, you’re looking for a range of people who reach across different demographics – so not just business leaders but others too.”
However, voter focus groups hosted by the Guardian earlier this month in Brighton, East Sussex, and Knowsley, Merseyside, suggested otherwise.
Carried out by the research group Britain Thinks, the exercise saw voters share their hopes, fears and frustrations about the referendum campaign and the role of the EU in British life – and they offered some startling insights.
Barack Obama, who backed remain weeks ago, was viewed as convincing by remainers, whereas his involvement was resented by leavers.
But both suggested that if British-born Beckham or David Attenborough were to venture an opinion, the public would be all ears.
