Support for leaving the European Union has fallen dramatically across the bloc since the UK's Brexit referendum in 2016, a recent study has found.
According to a poll conducted by the European Social Survey (ESS) and first reported by The Irish Times, no Member State registered an increase in the number of people who wish to leave the EU between the periods 2016-17 to 2020-22.
Finland recorded the greatest collapse in support for leaving (-11.8%), followed by Slovenia (-10.0%) and Austria (-8.8%). Even Hungary and Poland — two countries which in recent years have endured a particularly fractious relationship with Brussels — registered notable declines in support for leaving (by -4.7% and -1.3%, respectively).
Concurrently, the vast majority of countries polled recorded a rise in the number of citizens who wish to remain part of the EU, with the highest increases recorded in Finland (+14.8%), the Netherlands (+11.2%), and Slovenia (+10.5%).
In addition, every country registered a significant majority of people in favour of remaining in the EU. Pro-EU sentiment was highest in Portugal (87.6%), Slovenia (86.7%), and Spain (85.2%). The Czech Republic registered the lowest level of support (64.4%), followed by Sweden (68.1%) and Italy (70.4%).
Meanwhile, a recent YouGov survey found that British support for leaving the EU is at a record low, with 56% of Brits now claiming that the decision to leave was a mistake.
Greener on the other side? Don't bet on it
According to Mathieu Gallard, the Account Director at Ipsos, a leading French polling firm, the ESS survey demonstrates that there has been a "veritable collapse" in the desire of European citizens to leave the EU since the Brexit vote.
In an interview with The Guardian, Gallard noted that the survey's findings were a result of "a cumulative effect combining the EU's attitude towards the various crises of recent years, the radical right's moderation on the subject [of leaving the EU], and the many vicissitudes of Brexit".
Since leaving the EU, the UK has been in a near-constant state of economic and political turmoil. It has had five Prime Ministers in the past six years, while the country's soaring cost of living crisis has caused railway and healthcare workers to strike in recent months.
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Last November, the Bank of England warned that the UK is heading towards its longest-ever recession, with the country now facing eight consecutive quarters — or two years — of negative growth (a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth).
It also predicted that inflation would increase by 0.9% to peak at 11% by the end of this year, while unemployment will continue to rise until 2025, potentially reaching 6.4% — almost 3% more than the current rate.
On Thursday, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, openly criticised the damaging impact that Brexit has wrought — and is currently wreaking — on the UK economy.
"After two years of denial and avoidance, we now have to face the hard truth: Brexit is not working," Khan said on Thursday. He added that Brexit has "weakened our economy, fractured our union, and diminished our reputation".
