Many in Europe think the UK has already left the EU

A pro-EU supporter holds a flag at a rally against Brexit. Photograph; Victoria Jones/PA. - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

Almost a third of French and Italian people think the UK has already left the EU, a new survey has shown.

The survey, carried out in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK shows that almost a third of French (28%) and Italian (28%) people think the UK has already left the EU.

The figure is 12% in Germany, and 2% in the UK itself.

The Populus survey for TV channel Euronews also asked about the potential impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and each respondent’s own country, with people on balance thinking Brexit would do more harm than good, especially to the UK.

More than half (59%) of people in Germany believe that Brexit will have a damaging effect on the UK, falling to 41% in France, 38% in Italy and 34% in the UK itself.

The study, presented at Euronews’ ‘Over & Out?’ Brexit conference today, also revealed contrasting feelings towards the EU from one country to another.

It said the UK was still determinedly split into thirds: 34% think negatively about the EU, 6% are positive and 30% consider their feelings to be neutral.

More than half of Italians (54%) and Germans (56%) are positive towards the EU. In France, only two fifths of people polled feel positive towards the EU.

The research also digs deeper into the drivers of politics in Europe. The study reveals negativity towards capitalism while people are more positive about multiculturalism.

In France, 37% are negative towards capitalism, whereas only 25% are negative towards multiculturalism. Similarly, in the UK 29% are negative towards capitalism and 23% towards multiculturalism.

In Italy, 24% are negative towards capitalism, whereas only 15% are negative towards multiculturalism.

Populus polled nationally representative samples of at least 1000 adults in each of the UK, France, Germany and Italy. Quotas were set and post-weighting applied to make each national sample representative of that country’s adult population by age, gender and region.