Majority in NW want to stay in European Union

In March of this year, Danske Bank carried out a survey of 260 people across the NW - including Derry and Strabane - on the issue of EU membership.

The survey showed that 61 per cent of respondents were content to remain in the EU, 17 per cent wanted to leave and 21 per cent said they were uncertain.

In comparison to a 2015 survey carried out by Danske Bank, support for “staying in” the European Union has remained fairly steady with only a one percentage point drop from 62 per cent to 61 per cent.

Danske Bank Chief Economist Angela McGowan said: “The latest poll suggests that support for staying in the European Union remains high in the North West. The proportion wanting to stay in the EU in the North West (61 per cent) is higher than the Northern Ireland average (56 per cent). This probably reflects the fact that the North West shares a border with the Republic of Ireland and, therefore, the region enjoys significant cross-border trade and tourism with the Republic.”

The survey also showed that the proportion of people in the North West wanting to exit the EU has grown by six percent - from 11 per cent to 17 per cent. Simultaneously, the proportion of people that are unsure around how they will vote on June 23rd has dropped by six per cent - from 27 per cent in 2015 to 21 per cent this year.