Voters in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy want the European Union to treat the U.K. harshly in the negotiations over Brexit, according to a survey.
A poll conducted by Ipsos Mori asked voters in nine EU countries whether the U.K. should be offered favorable or unfavorable terms in negotiations, to reduce the negative impact on the European economy and to discourage other countries from leaving the EU.
The results showed that the French (39 percent), followed by the Belgians (34 percent), Spanish (30 percent) and Italians (28 percent) think the U.K. should be offered unfavorable terms.
When Brits were asked if they should be treated favorably, 56 percent said yes.
The poll also showed that Europeans seemed worried about the impact of Brexit — 58 percent said it was the wrong decision for the EU, while 55 percent said t was the wrong decision for Britain, and 50 percent said it was the wrong decision for their own country. The Polish (58 percent), Spanish and Swedish (both 55 percent) came out on top in thinking it was a bad decision for their own country.
With regard to the impact of Brexit on the U.K.’s economy, Germans (70 percent) and Belgians (68 percent) were most likely to think Britain will be harmed.
Countries outside the EU were generally less concerned about the effects of Brexit. In Russia (54 percent) said it was the right decision for Britain, much highre than the figure in the U.K., where just 38 percent said it was the right decision.
The pollsters interviewed 12,525 adults between 24 June and 8 July.