Nature poll: 83 per cent of UK scientists support Remain
Four-in-five British researchers believe Brexit would be harmful to UK science
A poll conducted by Nature, one of the world’s leading scientific journals, shows that the vast majority of UK scientists support Britain’s membership of the European Union.
Based on a polling sample of 907 active UK researchers, the journal found:
- 83 per cent believe that Britain should remain in the EU, 12 per cent think it should exit and five per cent are unsure.
- 78 per cent of those intending to vote believe that Brexit would be harmful to UK science, while nine per cent believe it would be beneficial.
Nature also invited responses from researchers elsewhere in the EU. 77 per cent of this group support Britain remaining a member.
However, they are not overly concerned about the impact of Brexit on the rest of EU science. While almost half said it would have some negative impact, just 15 per cent believe it would be very harmful.
Scientists have been quite vocal in the debate over EU membership; in March 150 leading British scientists, including Steven Hawking, wrote a letter to the Times supporting continued membership.
A pro-Europe campaign group called, Scientists for EU, has also been established.
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