Most Britons Side with Cameron on EU Treaty Rejection
Only one-in-twenty respondents would like to see the United Kingdom adopt the euro as its currency.
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(01/04/12) -
Most people in Britain continue to hold negative views on the European Union (EU) and an insignificant fraction would like to see the Pound abandoned in favour of the Euro, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 2,011 British adults, 53 per cent of respondents think EU membership has been negative for the United Kingdom, while only one third (33%) consider it positive.
As has been the case since this question was first asked in June 2010, two-in-five Britons (46%) would vote against the United Kingdom remaining a member of the EU if a referendum on this matter were held tomorrow. Only one-in-four respondents (26%) would cast a ballot in favour of continued membership.
In addition, only one-in-twenty Britons (5%) are currently willing to vote in favour of the United Kingdom adopting the euro as its currency.
The New Treaty
Last month, British Prime Minister David Cameron was the only sitting EU head of government to reject a new treaty aimed at tightening fiscal rules for European countries that use the euro. Three-in-five Britons (61%) agree with the Government’s decision, while 17 per cent disagree with it.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he was “bitterly disappointed by the outcome” of the European summit. A majority of respondents (56%) believe Clegg’s Liberal Democrats should withdraw from the Coalition with the Conservatives so that a new General Election can take place soon.
Analysis
While a majority of respondents aged 35-to-54 (54%) and over the age of 55 (65%) hold negative views on the effect of the EU in Britain, just over a third of those aged 18-to-34 (36%) concur. Younger Britons are also more likely to voice support for the UK staying in the EU (33%, compared to 25% and 23% for the older demographics), but are decidedly unconvinced about embracing the euro (7%).
Consult our May 2010, December 2010 and July 2011 polls on the European Union.
Download Full Methodology Statement
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From December 28 to December 29, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,011 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
