EU Referendum Campaign Poll

A public opinion poll on behalf of the EU Referendum Campaign.

Date Published: 23 Dec 2010

Categories: Economy | Europe | Politics | Public and communities

Description

87% of the British Public feel that MEPs in Brussels are paid too much
(Only 5% disagree)
 
84% of all Britons expect that there will be more problems with Euro currency countries in 2011
(Only 4% disagree)
 
71% of people feel the British Government is out of tune with the mood of the British people
(Only 18% disagree)
 
69% of the British people believe that it is unsustainable to continue contributing £48 million a day to the EU
(Only 12% disagree)
 
61% of the British Public do not believe that the Government is good at balancing the EU’s financial demands with the current economic pressures on the UK
 (Only 18% agree)
 
James Pryor, Chief Executive of the EU Referendum Campaign, said: 'David Cameron and his Coalition will ignore this Poll at their peril. How long will the political elite bury their heads in the sand and misread the public mood. As this Poll clearly shows, the people of Great Britain feel that the politicians have let them down. Only 12% feel that Britain's contribution to the EU is sustainable and yet the Prime Minister tells us he 'won the battle' in Brussels. The Chancellor keeps telling us 'to tighten our belts' and yet we still send £48 million a day to the EU. The British public will get angrier until they are given a say on our relationship with the EU and the politicians will have to live with the consequences.'

Andrew Hawkins, Chairman of ComRes, said: “2010 has been a difficult year for British families and, despite the festive season, people’s expectations for 2011 are equally bleak.  As many families across the country plan to rein in spending at Christmas, there is a clear danger that government appears out of touch with people’s financial priorities. Many believe that the government has got the balance wrong between spending on people’s needs at home and its spending on the country’s EU contribution.”

Notes to editors:

Methodology:  ComRes interviewed 2053 GB adults online on 17-19 December 2010.  Data were weighted to be representative of all adults.