From Iceland — People In Capital Want EU, People In Countryside Don't

People In Capital Want EU, People In Countryside Don’t

Published February 4, 2015

Nanna Árnadóttir
Photo by
Wikimedia Commons

Support for EU membership has never been higher in Iceland and in Reykjavík 61% of voters say they would vote in favour of membership, reports Vísir. Meanwhile in rural areas only 30% of voters would vote in favour of membership.

According to a survey by Capacent Gallup, as it stands now, 53% of overall voters would vote against membership and 46% would vote in favour.

The majority of voters however, would like to move ahead with accession talks.

As reported, Iceland’s Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, hopes to get a new proposal to end accession talks with the European Union off the ground in the early new year. A similar attempt was made last year but it was unsuccessful.

When asked whether they were for or against the ruling coalition ending accession talks, 53% of the survey participants said they were opposed to it. By contrast, 35% said they were for ending accession talks.

It comes as no surprise that support for ending accession talks is highest among those who vote for the Progressive Party and Independence Party, though 28% of Independence Party members oppose ending accession talks.

The study also showed that the higher the survey participant’s level of education and the higher the income, the more likely they were to vote in favour of membership.

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