Londoners Expect Troubled Times Ahead for Their City

The gulf between London and the rest of the U.K. is growing. So say many Londoners themselves, according to a new report released Tuesday from the independent think tank Centre for London. Compiled in the wake of Britain’s Brexit referendum, the report suggests the city’s residents are anxious and pessimistic about the near future, and they predict the U.K.’s capital will drift further away from the rest of the country and lose some of its economic vigor.

If the report’s findings are correct, Londoners’ minds are a somewhat troubled place right now. At 52 percent, a majority thought that London’s economy would suffer between now and 2020 as the government works toward leaving the E.U. The young were especially pessimistic, with 68 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds thinking Brexit would have a negative effect on London’s growth during this period. People over 45 were more optimistic, but in no age group did a majority think that the immediate future would bring an economic uptick for the city. This is having an alienating effect for many. When asked if they felt distant from the rest of the U.K. after the referendum, 41 percent agreed, against 31 percent who disagreed.