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Poll: Swedes are worried about Brexit consequences

TT/The Local
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Poll: Swedes are worried about Brexit consequences
The possibility of Brexit has Swedes worried about the EU's future. Photo: Lars Pehrson/SvD/TT

Swedes fear the consequences of Brexit and have a pessimistic view on the future of the EU, a new poll shows.

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A survey carried out by pollsters Ipsos on behalf of Dagens Nyheter newspaper suggests that three quarters of Swedes (76 percent) believe the European Union will be negatively affected if Britain votes to leave on June 23rd. Over half (56 percent) answered that they think Sweden itself will suffer if Brexit occurs.

“The knowledge of what a British withdrawal would mean is limited, but I think the results reflect a feeling that it would probably be negative for the EU and the EU’s future,” Ipsos head of public opinion David Ahlin told DN.

The poll also shows that Swedes are pessimistic about the future of the EU in general, with 51 percent answering that they think it is developing in the wrong direction. The most common justification for that answer was dissatisfaction with how the EU handled the refugee crisis, followed by a feeling that too much power is being transferred from member states to Brussels.

A significant proportion of the 1221 people polled said they would like to see more common policy across the EU however, with four out of ten backing that option. Migration and integration was the area that common policy was most desired in.

This is not the first time concerns have been expressed in Sweden about what may happen if Britain leaves the EU. In April, leading Swedish bank Swedbank said it thinks pressure on Sweden to join the euro would increase after Brexit. It also warned that Swedish exports to the UK would be hit.

There are further worries over the consequences of losing a close ally when it comes to voting on European policies, with one recent study showing that Sweden and Britain were in synch in almost 89 percent of votes in the EU Council and European Parliament. 

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