publications
Britain and Europe

Mixed feelings: Britain’s conflicted attitudes to the EU before the referendum

7 September 2015

A new Policy Network paper providing a detailed picture of how Britons think about the EU

Authors
Sofia Vasilopoulou
Author

Euroscepticism will weigh heavily in the UK’s referendum debate on EU membership, but do we know exactly what we are talking about? Beyond general assertions, it is necessary to understand the sources, patterns and effects of Euroscepticism among the British people. This paper aims to provide a detailed picture of how Britons think about the EU based on an online survey conducted two weeks before the 2015 general election. It shows that there is significant variation in UK support for different EU policies. Beyond economic calculations, emotions also form a key component of people’s attitudes towards the EU.

Photo credit: Charles Clegg / CC 3.0

Authors