--- title: "Despite Brexit negotiations, most in UK see EU membership as good for their economy" description: "At the same time, 73% of people in the United Kingdom say they would like to see some powers currently held by the EU returned to national governments. A majority say membership in the EU has been a good thing for their nation's economy. " date: "2018-07-24" authors: - name: "Katherine Schaeffer" job_title: "Former Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/katherine-schaeffer/" - name: "Kyle Taylor" job_title: "Former Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/kyle-taylor/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/07/24/despite-brexit-negotiations-most-in-uk-see-eu-membership-as-good-for-their-economy/" categories: - "Economic Conditions" - "European Union" - "Global Economy & Trade" - "Organizations, Alliances & Treaties" --- # Despite Brexit negotiations, most in UK see EU membership as good for their economy [![Partisans' priorities for the nation diverge more now than in past decades](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/02/FT_19.02.06_Partisanpriorities_Partisanspriorities_2.png?w=300)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/02/FT_19.02.06_Partisanpriorities_Partisanspriorities_2.png) [![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FT_18.07.17_UKViewsEU_feature.jpg)](https://www.pewresearch.org/britain-eu-politics-brexit-flags/) *A flag manufacturer folds finished UK and EU flags made at a factory in Chesterfield, England, in March 2017. (Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)* Nearly three-quarters of people in the United Kingdom (73%) say they would like to see some powers currently held by the European Union returned to national governments, according to a [new Pew Research Center study](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/07/12/people-who-hold-populist-views-are-less-likely-to-see-eu-membership-bringing-economic-benefits/). At the same time, a majority of British adults (62%) say membership in the EU has been a good thing for their nation’s economy. The UK’s relationship with the rest of Europe has been the source of recent [political upheaval in London](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu/brexit-continues-to-mean-brexit-may-presses-on-with-her-plan-idUSKBN1K81RN) as the nation prepares for its voter-approved departure from the EU – commonly known as Brexit – in March 2019. UK political leaders are divided over several proposals related to the exit, such as the establishment of a free-trade area between the UK and the EU, which would require the country to abide by EU rules and standards. In the Center’s new study – which is based on a survey conducted in the UK and seven other countries in late 2017 – British views of the EU vary significantly by age, education and ideology. ![Most British want some EU powers returned to governments](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FT_18.07.17_UKViewsEU_power.png) In terms of the division of governing power, younger British adults are significantly less likely to say that some powers currently held by the EU should be returned to national governments. A majority (57%) of British adults younger than 30 say this, compared with 70% of those ages 30 to 49 and 82% of those 50 and older. Only 19% of 18- to 29-year-olds in the UK say they *strongly* believe that some powers currently held by the EU should be returned to individual countries. Those ages 50 and older are much more likely (63%) to strongly feel this way. [![A majority of British say EU membership has benefited their country's economy](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/07/FT_18.07.17_UKViewsEU_economy.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/ft_18-07-17_ukviewseu_economy/) Younger adults in the UK are also more likely than older ones to say membership in the EU has yielded economic benefits. Three-quarters of Britons ages 18 to 29 say EU membership has benefited the British economy, compared with 67% of people ages 30 to 49 and 52% of those 50 and older. Around half (53%) of adults younger than 30 say they *strongly* feel that EU membership has benefited the British economy, a larger share than for either older age group. When it comes to ideology, around eight-in-ten British adults with right-leaning political views (81%) want to see EU powers returned to national governments, versus 61% of those on the left. Right-leaning Britons are also significantly less likely to see economic benefits from EU membership than left-leaning British adults (56% vs. 76%, respectively). Roughly three-quarters (74%) of UK adults with secondary education or less say they want some EU powers returned, compared with about two-thirds (68%) of people with education beyond secondary school. British adults with less education are also not as likely to see economic benefits stemming from the EU; 55% of those with no education beyond secondary school say the EU benefits the UK economically, compared with around three-quarters (76%) of those with more than secondary education. In the past, people in the UK have also expressed mixed feelings about Brexit and the EU. A [spring 2017 Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2017/06/01/british-divided-on-brexit-impact-as-new-elections-loom/) found that nearly half (48%) believed the exit will be bad for the UK, compared with nearly as many (44%) who said the decision to leave the EU will benefit the country.