Would you prefer Britain to be in the EU or European Free Trade Association?

Poll details

• About these data (including sample size, funder, fieldwork dates, etc.)
• See all questions from this poll

Full question wording

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was set up in 1960. Britain had previously been a member of the EFTA, but it left to join the European Community (the EC, which later became the EU) in 1973. In the 1990s the EFTA joined the EEA (European Economic Area), of which the EU is also a member, which allows for free movement of goods, services, capital and people in all EU countries. If Britain became a member of the EFTA, this would not affect its membership of the EEA. The EFTA has no common agricultural or fisheries policy, no economic union, nor any common foreign, security and defence policy between individual countries. These are run by the parliamentary member states. As a result, the cost of Britain belonging to the EFTA, if it decided to join, is estimated to be approximately £3 billion per year. Current members include Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. As a result of Britain’s membership of the EU, it maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development, as well as security and defence policy. The EU has certain control over what happens between countries (such as the free movement of goods, services, capital and people) but also – to an extent – what happens within the individual countries. Membership of the EU is expected to cost an estimated £6 billion in 2010-11. Current members include France, Spain and Germany. With this in mind, which would you prefer Britain to be in?

See About these data for possible variations

Topics

EU membership: good or bad deal? The economic debate