Attitudes to the European Union, January 1998

• 904 interviews with adults aged 18+ in 162 sampling points across Great Britain
• Fieldwork conducted face-to-face between 23-26 January 1998
• Based on all unless otherwise stated
• Data weighted to known population profile
• An * indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero

Q1 As you may know, the member states of the European Union are making plans for a European single currency to start in 1999. Which of the following best describes your own view of British participation in the single currency?

I strongly support British participation	17%
I am generally in favour of British participation, but could be persuaded against it if I thought it would be bad for the British economy	27%
I am generally opposed to British participation, but could be persuaded in favour of it if I thought it would be good for the British economy	24%
I strongly oppose British participation	23%
Don't know / no opinion	9%

Trends on this question

Q2 Using this card, could you please tell me whether you agree, or disagree with the following statement: I support closer co-operation between the countries of Europe, with Britain playing a leading role

Strongly agree	22%
Agree	48%
Neither agree nor disagree	15%
Disagree	7%
Strongly disagree	4%
Don't know / no opinion	5%

Q3 Which of the following statements about British membership of the European single currency most closely represents your view:

Membership will offer advantages, and Britain should join as soon as possible	14%
Membership could offer advantages, but Britain should only join when the economic conditions are right	57%
Britain should rule out the possibility of membership for at least 10 years	20%
Don't know / no opinion	8%