Britons are divided over Brexit and many believe the divisions will deepen over the coming year (Image: GETTY) The shocking findings were revealed in survey by BritianThinks which showed less than 6 percent of Britons believe their politicians understand them and 83 percent feel let down by the political establishment. The poll conducted for the Observer also suggested the public do not believe Britain is respected on the international stage, with 73 percent saying it had become a laughing stock. More than half of respondents think ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will replace Theresa May, but just 21 percent said the next prime minister, regardless of who is chosen, will not be up to the task of leading the UK. The survey also showed polarising opinions among different age groups, with more than half of over 65s feeling optimistic about Britain’s future - but less than a quarter of under 34s feel the same. Deborah Mattinson, founding director or research and strategy consultancy at BritainThinks, told the Observer: “I have been listening to people in focus groups since the late 1980s and I cannot recall a time when the national mood was more despairing. “‘Broken’, ‘sad’, ‘worried’, ‘angry’ - the negatives tumble out, as does the long list of grievances.” More than 2,000 adults took part in the poll on June 7-9 and focus groups were also held in London and Leicester. One Remain voter in Leicester said: ““The people we elected think we’re too stupid to understand what’s going on, there’s condescension and no respect for us,” Three out of every four people said Brexit divisions between the Leave and Remain supporters will escalate over the next 12 months, while less than 60 percent believe the country will actually leave the EU. The results come as the candidates in the race for Number 10 prepare for the first live TV debate tonight, which everyone except Mr Johnson has vowed to take part in. See below for live updates.All rights reserved for this news site express.co.uk and under his responsibility