As the world waits for the UK vote on June 23 determining if the country will remain or leave the EU, a recent poll shows the majority of Greeks are against a Brexit. In fact, according to the poll published by the “Morning Newspaper of the Left,” Avgi, this past Sunday, only 25 percent of Greeks are in favor of a Brexit, while 55 percent are against it.
The breakdown of the registered Greek voters shows much political divide within Greece itself and is not surprising. The majority of those in favor of the UK staying in the EU are center-right New Democracy voters at a high 79 percent, while the socialist Democratic coalition is at 76 percent. Voters who are supporters of the current government of Syriza are only slightly in favor at only 52 percent.
These numbers are quite contrary to the stance the majority of the Greek people take regarding the EU which are much more divided results. The rise of “euro-skepticism” is evident and expected as Greeks learn to survive with insurmountable austerities crippling the country. Only 43 percent of Greeks have a positive opinion regarding the EU, while the majority, at 55 percent are negative.
The polls revealed that although Greeks might be unsatisfied with the EU, that they are not necessarily ready to say good-bye to the euro currency. Fifty-four percent of those polled said that they have a positive opinion about the euro while 44 percent have a negative opinion. It is worth noting that a mere eight months ago that the negative rating of the euro was only at 32 percent.
Making it more difficult for Greek citizens to differentiate between the possible outcomes of a Brexit, is their more immediate fears regarding a possible Grexit. The split regarding the euro comes over much anxieties regarding a return to the Greek drachma. When asked if they thought the crisis in Greece would get better if Greece returned to her previous currency, the drachma, 47 percent of those polled said they thought that the situation would actually deteriorate while 32 percent said they thought it would get better.
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