According to a new survey from UK-based electricity and gas supplier Opus Energy Limited, 51% of SME owners (Small-to-medium enterprises) have shared their opinion on whether the UK should leave the EU.

The EU referendum in which UK citizens will get to vote on whether the UK should leave or stay in the EU, will take place on 23 June 2016.

According to the survey, 23% of respondents shared their opinion with employees and fellow colleagues at work, and 43% discussing how they will vote with their family. The survey also showed that 30% have kept their opinion to themselves, with size of business seemingly influencing their decision to share their thoughts. Those most likely to share their views were those working for SMEs with more than 100 employees, with 19% not sharing their opinions and smaller businesses remaining more secretive, 25%.

“Brexit is a divisive issue and it’s interesting to see that voting preferences are not as secretive as years gone by due to the increase in channels available to us,” Louise Boland, MD for Opus Energy, said. “Previously, few would have openly declared how they would vote, but now SME owners and decision makers are not only discussing how they will vote with fellow employees, but also broadcasting it on digital channels. This shift in behaviour really does demonstrate the power of digital communications in everyday life and how our attitudes to ‘private’ issues such as voting preferences have evolved.”

The Opus Energy data revealed that women were more likely to share their opinion (72%) on Brexit than men (68%). However, men were more likely to openly discuss or share their opinion with colleagues (27%) compared with 19% of women. Of those who are voting to leave the EU, 30% of decision makers have shared their views with colleagues, while only 23% who want to stay in have discussed with employees.