Survey: Two-thirds of EU citizens support UK rejoining bloc
9 reported
A survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) found that 66% of respondents across 15 EU countries view UK membership as a very good, good, or neutral idea. The polling, conducted in May 2026, also found that 75% of UK respondents favor a closer relationship with the EU, with 63% willing to accept freedom of movement in exchange for closer trading ties. The report’s author, Mark Leonard, said the data shows a “very broad permissive consensus” for going beyond the current government reset. The survey was published ten years after the Brexit referendum.
What’s reported
66% of EU respondents across 15 countries backed UK membership as a very good, good, or “neither a good nor a bad” idea.
Support for rejoin ranged from 56% in Bulgaria to 75% in the Netherlands and Denmark.
75% of UK respondents favored a closer relationship with the EU.
63% of UK respondents, including 57% of leave voters, would accept freedom of movement for closer trading ties.
66% of UK respondents said Brexit had a negative impact on the cost of living; 65% said it hurt the economy.
Most leave voters (58%) said Brexit made illegal immigration worse.
The most common UK response for Brexit benefits was “don’t know” or “none of the above.”
58% of UK respondents favored closer defensive relations with Europe, compared to 19% for the US.
63% of UK respondents want the UK to participate in developing an alternative European nuclear deterrent.
Key figures
Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Emmanuel Macron, president of France
Pedro Sánchez, prime minister of Spain
Alexander Stubb, president of Finland
Sources: The Guardian
