Friday 01 November 1996
- MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,025 adults aged 18+ at 65 constituency sampling points across Britain on 27-29 November 1996.
- Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in street.
- Data were weighted to match the population profile.
- The survey was conducted on behalf of The European newspaper.
Q Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the government is running the country?
Q And are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the European Union (that is, what used to be called the European Community or Common Market), is being run?
| | Government | EU |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Satisfied | 20 | 13 |
| Dissatisfied | 74 | 65 |
| Don't know | 6 | 22 |
Q Thinking now about whether or not there should be a referendum on Britain's future relationship with the European Union (Common Market), which of the following comes closest to your view?
| | % |
|---|
| There should be a referendum as soon as possible on whether Britain should stay in or leave the European Union (Common Market) | 40 |
| There should be a referendum after the Inter Governmental Conference on whether Britain should stay in or leave the European Union (Common Market) if significant changes to the way the EU is run are agreed at the Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) | 14 |
| Britain should stay in the European Union (Common Market), but there should be a referendum on the introduction of a single European currency | 29 |
| There should not be any referendum on Europe | 9 |
| None of these | 2 |
| Don't know | 6 |
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?
| | 1977 | 1980 | 1983 | 1987 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | Oct
1993 | Apr
1994 | May
1996 | Nov
1996 |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| Stay in | 47 | 26 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 60 | 52 | 46 | 52 | 44 | 44 |
| Get out | 42 | 65 | 55 | 39 | 28 | 29 | 35 | 39 | 36 | 39 | 40 |
| Don't know | 11 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 16 |
| Net stay in | +5 | -39 | -19 | +9 | +34 | +31 | +17 | +7 | +16 | +5 | +4 |
Q And if there were a referendum now on whether Britain should be part of a single European currency, how would you vote?
| | May
1996 | Nov
1996 | Change |
|---|
| | % | % | ±% |
|---|
| In favour | 23 | 22 | -1 |
| Against | 60 | 64 | +4 |
| Don't know | 17 | 14 | -3 |
Q A number of ideas are being considered which it is said will benefit the citizens of the European Union (Common Market). How strongly do you support or oppose the idea that … ?
| | Support | Oppose | Neither / Don't Know |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| There should be a single European time zone, so that clocks in all European Union countries show the same time | 56 | 30 | 14 |
| People in Britain should have the right to appeal to a European Court to challenge British court decisions | 54 | 31 | 15 |
| School pupils across Europe should be taught to the same curriculum | 52 | 33 | 15 |
| There should be fully integrated armed services to defend Europe | 48 | 36 | 16 |
| There should be a common European passport, without a separate British passport | 42 | 47 | 11 |
| There should be a President of Europe, directly elected by the people across the EU | 30 | 49 | 21 |
| Duty-free shopping at airports and on ferries travelling between EU countries should be abolished | 27 | 58 | 15 |
| Customs checks between Britain and the other member states should be abolished | 24 | 67 | 9 |
| More power should be transferred to the European Parliament from individual national parliaments | 15 | 67 | 18 |
| European Union laws should take precedence over British laws | 10 | 78 | 12 |
Q I am now going to read out a list of policy areas. Some people feel that these are policy areas that should be dealt with by the European Union (Common Market), while others feel they should be left to national government. For each one I read out, could you tell me whether you feel it should be treated primarily at EU level, primarily at national level or whether you feel it should be dealt with at both national and EU levels?
| | Primarily EU | Primarily National | Both EU & National | Don't know |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| Overseas aid | 13 | 39 | 42 | 6 |
| Environmental policy | 11 | 41 | 43 | 5 |
| Negotiating trade-unions agreements with the rest of the world | 12 | 42 | 41 | 5 |
| Agricultural policy | 9 | 53 | 34 | 4 |
| Foreign policy | 8 | 55 | 30 | 7 |
| Defence Policy | 7 | 60 | 27 | 5 |
| Transport policy | 7 | 61 | 27 | 5 |
| Immigration | 7 | 64 | 25 | 4 |
| Education | 6 | 67 | 23 | 4 |
| Unemployment | 6 | 69 | 21 | 4 |
| Criminal Justice System | 5 | 69 | 21 | 5 |
| Interest rates | 6 | 75 | 14 | 5 |
| Income tax | 5 | 78 | 13 | 4 |
Q As you may know, the European Union has recently decided that most British workers should not have to work more than 48 hours a week, on average, unless they wish to do so, and should have the right to at least 3 weeks' paid holiday a year. On balance, do you think British workers should or should not have these rights?
| | % |
|---|
| Should | 85 |
| Should not | 9 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q Regardless of whether you support or oppose these changes in general, do you think that the European Union should or should not have the right to impose this rule on Britain as a health and safety measure, bearing in mind that Britain's opt-out from the Social Chapter means that the EU cannot normally regulate working conditions in Britain?
| | % |
|---|
| Should | 31 |
| Should not | 59 |
| Don't know | 10 |
Q Thinking now about how decisions are made about Britain's future role in Europe, which of the following comes closest to your view about how these issues are dealt with in the House of Commons?
| | % |
|---|
| European issues should be debated and voted on along party lines, with MPs supporting the policies set out by their own party | 29 |
| European issues should not be debated and voted on along party lines, and MPs should be allowed a 'free vote' to express their views | 58 |
| Neither of these | 2 |
| Don't know | 11 |
Q Which of these - Europe, the Commonwealth, or America - is the most important to Britain?
| | 1969 | 1984 | 1986 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993 | 1996 |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| Europe | 21 | 39 | 39 | 50 | 52 | 57 | 45 |
| Commonwealth | 34 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 22 |
| America | 34 | 26 | 29 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 22 |
| Don't know | 11 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 11 |
Q Which country do you think is Britain's most reliable political ally within the European Union?
Q And which country do you think is Britain's least reliable political ally within the European Union?
Q If you could not live in Britain, which European Union country would you choose to live in instead?
| | Most reliable | Least reliable | Like to live |
|---|
| | 1994 | 1996 | 1994 | 1996 | 1994 | 1996 |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| Austria | n/a | 1 | n/a | * | n/a | 5 |
| Belgium | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Denmark | 2 | 3 | * | * | 3 | 3 |
| Finland | n/a | 6 | n/a | 3 | n/a | 3 |
| France | 10 | 8 | 51 | 50 | 22 | 12 |
| Germany | 21 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 9 |
| Greece | * | * | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 7 | * | * | 8 | 6 |
| Ireland | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Italy | * | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | * | 0 | * | * | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 | 2 | 0 | * | 2 | 4 |
| Spain | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 11 |
| Sweden | n/a | 1 | n/a | * | n/a | 2 |