Opposition to joining the euro among Britons slipped in March, driven by a surge in euro support among 18-to-24-year-olds, but the reason was not clear, a Barclays bank survey said today.
The survey, conducted by pollster NOP, said if a referendum on joining the euro were held today, the balance between those saying yes and those saying no was -34, with 27 per cent in favour, 60 per cent against and 13 per cent saying either they would not vote or do not know.
That is down from -37 per cent in February, which was the strongest anti-euro sentiment since Barclays began asking this question in November 2001.
A net 9 per cent of respondents said they would vote against the euro even if the government's five economic tests for joining the currency were passed, with 38 per cent saying yes, 47 per cent saying no and 15 per cent saying either they would not vote or do not know.
That is down slightly from a net balance of 13 per cent in February and the smallest percentage since last November.
The British government is committed in principle to joining the euro subject to those five economic tests and a referendum. It has promised to assess the tests by June this year and if they are passed, it will hold a referendum afterwards.
But many analysts think that continued opposition to euro entry among Britons as well as a sluggish economic performance by the euro zone make a positive outcome to the test highly unlikely.