Nearly half of voters in eight major European Union (EU) countries want their own votes on whether to continue as members of the bloc, with a third wanting to leave.
Britain goes to the polls on 23 June to decide whether to leave the EU, and an Ipsos-Mori poll says that a significant proportion of voters in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain would like the same opportunity.
Around 45 per cent of the 6,000 people survey said they wanted the vote, with a third opting to leave.
Up to 48 per cent of Italians said they would vote to leave the EU, while 41 per cent of French voters would follow suit.
Bobby Duffy, head of social research at Ipsos-MORI, said: “The Italians in particular hope to have their own opportunity to go to the polls on their EU membership, which lends a sense that even if the (British) vote does… stick with the status quo in June, it will not be the end of the EU’s woes.”
The poll also found that 49 per cent of people in the eight countries thought Britain would vote to leave in the June referendum, with only 36 per cent thinking it would harm Britain’s economy.
Last month, Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s Front National, called on every EU member state to have its own referendum on continued membership of the bloc.
“The British will vote in two months, this is a key moment in European history,” she said.
“I also hope the French will not have to wait too long for a similar opportunity. I hope that all peoples can express themselves on this subject.”
In Italy, where Eurosceptic sentiment is highest according to the poll, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has surged to become the country’s second political force. One of the party’s main policies is taking Italy out of the Eurozone, although it has stopped short of calling for a full withdrawal from the EU.
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