London - Britons are more likely to vote to stay part of the European Union than leave in a future membership referendum, a poll showed on Monday, with only 18 percent saying they would definitely elect to exit the bloc.
The YouGov poll for The Times newspaper asked the question because Britain faces a close national election on Thursday and Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to hold such an in-out referendum if re-elected.
Such a referendum has not been held in Britain since 1975, when the country first joined what was then the European Economic Community. The bloc was approved by a margin of 2-1.
Monday's poll, which surveyed 1,823 adults from April 28-29, found that 34 percent of Britons would definitely vote to stay in the EU, and that a further 18 percent would probably vote to stay in but were also open to persuasion.
By contrast, just 18 percent said they would definitely elect to leave the bloc, with a further 14 percent saying they would probably vote to exit but were also open to persuasion.
Sixteen percent were undecided.
Reuters