Financial Times/Harris Poll – Britain and the EU

One in three wants UK to stay in EU

London, UK – February 26, 2013 - A recent Financial Times/Harris Poll in the UK shows the Great British public’s perception of the UK’s membership to the EU.

The poll highlights how unimportant the UK population believe the EU to be and that only 1 in 3 would vote to stay in the EU if there was a referendum tomorrow. Additionally, over a quarter of the population are unaware of David Cameron’s proposed plans for a referendum before the end of 2017.

Here below are some of the findings of the Financial Times/Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive among a total of 2,114 adults aged 16+ in Great Britain between the 29th January and 6th February 2012:

Healthcare, education and economic growth are of primary importance to Britons, ahead of other key policy areas such as unemployment, taxation and social benefits. The EU is not as significant an issue as any of the above and seen as even less important to the future of the UK than the public infrastructure/transport and the environment.

Half of Britons would vote out of the EU if an in/out referendum were held tomorrow. Only 33% would vote to stay in, with the remainder of the population not voting either way.

More than a quarter of Britons were not aware that David Cameron had promised an in/out referendum by the end of 2017 despite recent media coverage.

18% of Britons are now more likely to vote Conservative since David Cameron's promise of an in/out referendum, and 16% Labour. In comparison, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP have been more negatively impacted.

Britons agree more than they disagree that Britain was right to join the EU in 1975 and that the country still benefits from its membership. However they are divided in believing or not that overall the positives of Britain's membership of the EU still outweigh the negatives.

37% of Britons are very/extremely concerned that uncertainty over the UK’s membership of the EU could undermine the UK's economy. They are not as concerned however that it could undermine the UK's international influence.

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TABLE 1
IMPORTANCE OF ISSUES FACING UK
"On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you believe the following issues to be for the future of the UK?"

Base: All GB adults

TABLE 2
VOTE IN AN IN/OUT REFERENDUM ON THE EU
“How would you vote if there were an in/out referendum on the EU tomorrow?”

Base: All GB adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

TABLE 3
AWARENESS OF THE PROMISE OF AN IN/OUT REFERENDUM BY THE END OF 2017
“Were you aware that David Cameron had promised an in/out referendum by the end of 2017 before now?”

Base: All GB adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

TABLE 4
IMPACT OF THE PROMISE OF AN IN/OUT REFERENDUM ON MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES
“Does David Cameron's promise of an in/out referendum make you any more or less likely to vote at the next election for the following parties?”

Base: All GB adults 

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

TABLE 5
BRITAIN WITHIN THE EU
“To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about Britain and the EU?”

Base: All GB adults

TABLE 6
UNCERTAINTY OVER THE UK’S MEMBERSHIP OF THE EU
“How concerned are you, if at all, that uncertainty over the UK’s membership of the EU could undermine the…?”

Base: All GB adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Methodology

This FT/Harris Poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive among a total of 2,114 adults aged 16+ in Great Britain between 29th January and 6th February 2013. Figures for age, sex, education, region and Internet usage were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with non-response, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult populations within those countries that were surveyed. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls and the British Polling Council.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients-stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.co.uk