According to a poll conducted by Bífröst University for Stöð 2 News, most Icelanders would reject a vote to join the EU if a referendum were held today.
When it came to the question of whether or not Iceland should conduct membership talks with the EU, about half polled favored the idea, while 43% were against it. 7% had no position on the matter. However, when polled on the question of actually joining the EU, only 29% favored the idea, 17% had no opinion, but 54% said they were either very against or rather against the idea of joining the EU.
People living in the capital area were more likely to be in favor of joining the EU than those living in the countryside. This would be expected, as many living in agriculturally-based communities fear the EU will severely impact their livelihoods. In fact, when those who expressed an opinion either way were asked to detail their reasons, those who were against joining the EU mentioned, among other things, fears that Iceland would lose its independence and its control over fishing territory and natural resources, that its agriculture would be crippled, and that Iceland simply had no business joining the EU. Those who favored joining, by contrast, listed among their reasons that it would be better to be a part of Europe, to be able to adopt the euro, and other economic reasons.
Parliament voted last July to begin membership negotiations with the EU. Many EU nations have expressed an eagerness to bring Iceland into the fold.