Remain vote strongest among British expats in Austria
The Local Austria - [email protected]
Published: 20 Jun, 2016 CET.
Updated: Mon 20 Jun 2016 12:37 CET
A recent survey conducted by expat community InterNations found that more than 85% of British expats living in Austria plan to vote remain in the upcoming EU referendum.
The remain vote among Brits in Austria was the highest of all countries polled, with Germany, France and Portugal following at around 77%.
The survey polled 1,800 expats to find out whether they could vote in the referendum this Thursday and whether they are for or against Britain leaving the EU.
Around 42% of British people surveyed in Austria said they were not planning on voting, although 80% of those said that was because they were not eligible to do so.
British emigrants who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years are not allowed to vote in this referendum.
Would Austria follow suit?
In other Brexit news, the party leader spear-heading the Leave campaign in the UK warned over the weekend that if Britain votes to leave the European Union, Austria will follow suit within months.
The head of the British anti-immigration UKIP party Nigel Farage made the comments to Austrian media.
"If we are first out, you in Austria will probably be the first to follow six months later," he told the Austrian magazine News. "It's almost like a horse race. Who will go sooner? You or maybe the Danes?"
A survey carried out in 2014, 20 years after Austria held its own EU referendum and voted to enter the Union, found that support for the EU was still high at around 67%.
The survey carried out by the Austrian Society for European Politics also found, however, that one quarter of Austrians would support the country leaving the EU.
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The remain vote among Brits in Austria was the highest of all countries polled, with Germany, France and Portugal following at around 77%.
The survey polled 1,800 expats to find out whether they could vote in the referendum this Thursday and whether they are for or against Britain leaving the EU.
Around 42% of British people surveyed in Austria said they were not planning on voting, although 80% of those said that was because they were not eligible to do so.
British emigrants who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years are not allowed to vote in this referendum.
Would Austria follow suit?
In other Brexit news, the party leader spear-heading the Leave campaign in the UK warned over the weekend that if Britain votes to leave the European Union, Austria will follow suit within months.
The head of the British anti-immigration UKIP party Nigel Farage made the comments to Austrian media.
"If we are first out, you in Austria will probably be the first to follow six months later," he told the Austrian magazine News. "It's almost like a horse race. Who will go sooner? You or maybe the Danes?"
A survey carried out in 2014, 20 years after Austria held its own EU referendum and voted to enter the Union, found that support for the EU was still high at around 67%.
The survey carried out by the Austrian Society for European Politics also found, however, that one quarter of Austrians would support the country leaving the EU.
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