A decade after the Brexit vote, economic strain, tougher trade and rising regret are pushing Britain toward closer European Union ties, though rejoining remains politically distant and uncertain for now.

LONDON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A decade ago, advocates of Brexit claimed that British people would live a better life with more jobs and fewer immigrants by leaving the EU. Many have since changed their minds.

Recent polling from the Policy Institute at King's College London (KCL) and global polling research firm Ipsos shows that more Britons now consider the referendum a mistake than in 2016, rising from 24 percent to 38 percent.

The survey, involving over 2,000 Britons aged above 18 years old, found that nearly half say Brexit is going worse than they expected, up from 28 percent back in March 2021, while just 9 percent say it is going better than expected.

"Ten years ago, I supported Brexit because I was told there would be more and better job opportunities. But now it seems job opportunities have not increased but decreased. There are many opportunities on the European continent, but due to restrictions on the movement of people between the UK and the EU, I can only make a living in the UK for now. But due to the overall economic downturn, I lost my job," a London resident who previously worked in a bar told Xinhua.

Britons continue to face a high unemployment rate 10 years after Brexit. The unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was estimated at 4.9 percent in the three months to April, latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) expects the rate to reach around 5.2 by the end of the year.

Annual growth in employees' average earnings was 3.4 percent for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) and 4.4 percent for total earnings (including bonuses) in the three months to April, ONS data showed. However, wage gains remain marginal when inflation, at around 3 percent, is taken into account.

For British businesses, especially micro, small and medium-sized ones, Brexit has led to a significant increase in export costs and made trade more difficult. A recent research by the BCC shows that over half of British exporters think the current trade deal with the EU makes exporting harder and that the need for change is urgent.

"Businesses have been put through the wringer since Brexit, as the costs and complexity of trading with the EU have soared," said William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC, noting that the negative impact on trade and growth is still underappreciated in public debate.

Brexit has made the British economy smaller than it otherwise would have been, not through a sudden collapse, but through a gradual and cumulative drag on trade, investment and productivity, Professor Jonathan Portes of KCL told the media.

Research by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that by the end of 2025, Brexit had reduced British GDP by 6-8 percent, investment by 12-13 percent, employment by 3-4 percent, and productivity by 3-4 percent.

These negative impacts reflect a combination of elevated uncertainty, reduced demand, diverted management time, and increased misallocation of resources from a protracted Brexit process, the research said.

A majority of business leaders in the UK believe the government should prioritize its relationship with the EU, research published by the Institute of Directors showed on Tuesday.

The report, which reveals a marked shift in business sentiment around the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote, showed that some 52 percent of business leaders believe the government should make the EU its top trading priority, up from 35 percent in April 2025.

However, it remains unclear what kind of ties Britain will strive to make with the EU to boost future growth, as opinions are divided on whether and when the country should rejoin the EU.

Businesses have become increasingly frustrated by current Britain-EU relations and argue that further steps could be taken to simplify trade and benefit both economies, Bain said, cautioning that debates over rejoining the EU or forming a customs union are not currently helpful since firms want more trade with Europe, the United States and Asia.

"Businesses tell us they do not want to keep retreading old ground but look forward instead. Rejoining would compromise the trade deals we have made since leaving and cut our advantages in areas such as artificial intelligence where our regulatory approach differs," Bain added.

Pessimistic about building close ties with the EU, John Bryson, a professor of economic geography at the University of Birmingham, told Xinhua that since the share of the EU in the global economy decreased significantly compared with decades ago, it raises the question of why it is so important for the UK to associate itself so closely with the EU.

He said Britain must develop sustainable trading relationships with countries that are growing in population and contributing more to global GDP.

In recent years, the British government has advocated for a closer relationship with the EU.

The two sides have been negotiating measures to make it easier for young people to travel and stay for longer periods between Britain and the EU, and discussions are also underway on agreements covering food safety, animal health, and the trading of emissions allowances and electricity.

Meanwhile, public support for Britain rejoining the EU is on the rise. A recent survey by the Britain-based polling firm YouGov found that 57 percent of Britons believe it was wrong to leave the EU -- including 23 percent of those who originally voted for Brexit.

Six in ten respondents consider Brexit a failure, and 55 percent say they support rejoining, according to the same research.

Despite rising regret over Brexit, political divisions, tougher membership terms and reluctance on both sides make Britain's re-entry into the bloc highly unlikely "in his lifetime," wrote Iain Begg, a professorial research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Echoing Begg, British scholar Martin Jacques said the past decade has seen major divisions in British society, the worst since 1945, which date from Brexit. "We may rejoin the EU one day, but not in the near future."