More adults believe the UK should rejoin the European Union than remain outside of it, new polling shows.
A survey of 1,500 people carried out by BMG Polling, exclusively for i, reveals that 45 per cent of the electorate is now in favour going back into the EU, seven years on from the referendum vote.
This compares with 40 per cent of those polled believing the UK should stay out of the trading bloc, while 14 per cent said they did not know.
Britons voted to leave the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent in 2016.
According to the BMG figures, the call for the UK to re-enter the EU is strongest among 18-24 year olds, with 62 per cent saying they were in favour of rejoining, as opposed to just 15 per cent who are against, showing a stark generational divide in the electorate’s approach to Brussels.
This figure falls marginally to 58 per cent among 25 to 34-year-olds, and drops more significantly among 35 to 44-year-olds, with 47 per cent in favour of rejoining compared with 35 per cent against.
It is only when the polling gets to 55 to 64-year-olds that there is stronger support for staying out of the EU, with 49 per cent backing staying out of the bloc, as opposed to 37 per cent calling for the UK to rejoin.
It is the latest in a series of polls in recent months to show a leaning towards rejoining the EU amid concerns over the state of the economy and a fall in trade exports.
The survey reveals that Brexit is named among the top five reasons for inflation affecting the UK economy and driving up prices across the country.
Some 57 per cent of voters blamed or partially blamed the UK’s departure from the EU for high inflation, with 30 per cent saying Brexit was to blame to a “great extent” and 27 per cent saying it had done so “to some extent”.
A Redfield and Wilton poll in April showed an overwhelming majority in favour of going back into the EU, with 61 per cent backing the move compared with 39 per cent saying they would vote to stay out in another referendum.
Last month, a Deltapoll survey showed 47 per cent of adults would choose to rejoin versus 37 per cent who would stay out.
The polls are part of a sustained trend showing public opinion is turning against the decision cast in 2016. YouGov polling throughout 2023 has repeatedly shown that only around one in three people now look at the decision to leave as the right decision, while 55 per cent say they regret the move.
