Attitudes to the EU

Q. Would you personally like to see a referendum held to decide on each of the following?

  • MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,620 adults at 137 ward sampling points throughout Great Britain.
  • Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in home, between 23 - 26 May 1996, as part of MORI's regular Omnibus survey.
  • Data were weighted to match the profile of the population.
  • The survey was conducted for The Times and published on 30 May 1996.

Q. Would you personally like to see a referendum held to decide on each of the following?

On introducing a single European currency

  1991* 1994* Apr-May 1995* Jun 1995* 1996 Change 1994-6
  % % % % % ±%
Yes, hold 56 64 61 71 66 +2
No, do not hold 32 25 29 21 24 -1
Don't know 12 10 10 8 10 0

*1991 Q "a single European currency to replace the pound sterling"; *1995 Q "whether the pound sterling should be part of a single European currency".

On whether Britain should leave the European Union (Common Market)

  1995 1996 Change
  % % ±%
Yes, hold 62 60 -2
No, do not hold 28 30 +2
Don't know 10 10 0

Q If there were a referendum now on whether Britain should stay in or get out of the European Community (Common Market), how would you vote?

All Regular readers of:
Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Mirror Daily Record Daily Telegraph The Guardian The Indep-endent
  % % % % % % % %
Stay in 44 38 38 49 35 57 80 77
Get out 39 44 51 40 41 37 16 15
Daily Star The Sun The Times No daily News of World Sunday Express Sunday Mail Sunday Mirror
  % % % % % % % %
Stay in 44 28 69 47 33 42 33 46
Get out 40 51 29 32 48 44 44 37
Sunday Post Sunday Telegraph Mail on Sunday The Observer The People Sunday Times No Sunday paper
  % % % % % % %
Stay in 31 66 43 85 29 65 43
Get out 51 28 44 8 49 23 38

Q If there were a referendum now on whether Britain should be part of a single European currency, how would you vote?

  1991 1994 1995 1996 Change 1995-6
  % % % % ±%
In favour 33 33 29 23 -6
Against 54 56 60 60 0
Don't know 13 11 11 17 +6

Q A number of ideas are being considered which it is said will benefit the citizens of the European Community. From this card, how strongly do you support or oppose the idea that...?

...a single European currency should be established?

  1991 1994 1995 1996 1995-6 Change
  % % % % % ±%
Support 40 32 28 29 24 -16
Oppose 42 48 55 56 59 +4
Neither / no opinion 18 20 17 15 17 +12
Net support -2 -16 -27 -27 -35  

...there should be a common system of legal practice?

  1987 1989 1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % % % ±%
Support 58 59 62 53 -9
Oppose 26 26 19 25 +6
Neither / no opinion 16 15 19 22 +3
Net support +32 +33 +43 +28  

...a Supreme Court of Europe should be introduced?

  1987 1989 1990 1991 1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % % % % % ±%
Support 52 51 51 45 44 35 -9
Oppose 26 31 34 38 31 38 +7
Neither / no opinion 22 18 15 18 25 27 +2
Net support +25 +20 +17 +7 +13 -3  

...there should be a common system of taxes between member states?

  1987 1989 1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % % % ±%
Support 41 44 43 38 -5
Oppose 38 33 34 36 +2
Neither / no opinion 21 23 23 26 +3
Net support +3 +11 +9 +2  

...more power should be transferred to the European Parliament from individual national parliaments?

  1987 1989 1990 Apr-May 1991 Nov 1991 1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % % % % % % ±%
Support 28 28 30 30 17 20 15 -5
Oppose 50 55 56 54 70 59 61 +2
Neither / no opinion 22 17 14 16 13 21 24 +3
Net support -22 -27 -26 -24 -53 -39 -46  

...the European Community should be expanded to include Eastern European counties such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary?

  1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % ±%
Support 42 40 -2
Oppose 31 28 -3
Neither / no opinion 27 32 +5
Net support +11 +12  

...there should be a single co-ordinated European foreign policy?

  1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % ±%
Support 37 33 -4
Oppose 36 35 -1
Neither / no opinion 27 32 +5
Net support +1 -2  

...sterling should rejoin the European Exchange Rate Mechanism?

  1993 1996 Change 1993-6
  % % ±%
Support 18 27 +9
Oppose 55 35 -20
Neither / no opinion 27 38 +11
Net support -37 -8  

...should there be a United States of Europe with a federal government?

  %
Support 15
Oppose 60
Neither / no opinion 24
Net support -45

More insights about Public Sector

Society