Poll: Support for European economic integration mixed and partisan

[pampango]

Belief that European economic integration is beneficial has never been as pervasive as favorability of the EU. But positive views of the European project continue to edge back up after the damage done to its reputation by the euro crisis.

Roughly half (49%) of the British say that economic integration has strengthened their economy, up 8 points from 2014 and 23 points from 2013. Men are slightly more likely to believe this than women. Young Brits are far more likely than older ones to hold this view, as are people on the left of the ideological spectrum.

French belief in the economic benefits of European integration has risen 9 points since 2013, but still only 31% say it has strengthened the French economy. However, roughly half the French ages 18 to 29 express faith in a more tightly integrated EU economy, nearly twice the support found among those ages 50 and older. And French on the left of the political spectrum are far more likely to voice the view that integration is good for the economy than their counterparts on the right.

About six-in-ten Germans (59%) hold the opinion that economic integration has been good for their country, not a surprising sentiment given the fact that Germany runs a significant trade surplus with the rest of Europe. Germans’ belief in the efficacy of economic integration is largely unchanged from last year, but up 7 percentage points from 2013. German men more than women, and people on the left more than those on the right, express support for European economic integration.

http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/06/02/chapter-2-support-for-the-european-project-rebounding/