1 in 5 MEPs (20%) think that the EU would be better off if the UK left according to the latest ComRes Europoll™ survey. Although 48% of MEPs strongly disagree that the EU would be better off, a significant minority are sanguine about the prospect of the UK leaving the EU.

The survey was conducted among a representative sample of 100 MEPs drawn from across the Parliament, spanning all major political groups and Member States.

Mediterranean MEPs are the least likely to hold a positive view of continued UK membership with almost 2 in 5 (38%) agreeing that the EU would be better off if the UK left. The largest support for continued UK membership lies with MEPs from Northern regions, with 9 in 10 disagreeing that that the EU would be better off without the UK.

ALDE members are more likely to disagree that the UK leaving the EU would have a positive impact than their EPP and PASD counterparts.

On attitudes towards the EU more generally, a majority of MEPs think that the EU should be working towards becoming a unified state such as ‘The United States of Europe’ - a statistic which will do little to allay the fears of Eurosceptics in the UK and elsewhere.

There are striking regional differences on this issue with Mediterranean and Northern MEPs holding polarised opinions. Almost 9 in 10 Mediterranean MEPs agree that the EU should be working towards becoming a unified state whilst almost 9 in 10 Northern MEPs disagree that this should be the model that the EU should aim for.

A majority of MEPs across all three main parties think that the EU should be aiming to become a unified state, with support particularly strong among MEPs on the political left.