Poll finds majority of Britons favour EU exit
Survey reveals generational divide in UK’s Europe debate, with younger people favoring continued membership
For the first time a majority of Britons want their country to leave the European Union, a monthly survey has found.
The opinion poll, conducted by ORB for the Independent newspaper, found that 52 percent of people believe Britain should leave the 28-member bloc. Forty-eight percent want to remain.
It is the first time the ORB has shown a majority favoring an exit. The company asked the same question in June, July and September this year and each time found 55 percent favoring the U.K. remaining part of the European Union.
This month’s questions, which were asked after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, revealed a stark generational difference in responses. A clear majority of respondents under 34 favored remaining in the EU, while those aged over 55 supported a British exit, or ‘Brexit’.
Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics at Kent University, told the Independent that immigration was the central issue in the European Union referendum campaign.
“The recent eruption of the refugee crisis and ongoing public concern over net migration have likely sharpened these anxieties even further, pushing Britain closer to the prospect of Brexit,” he said.
