A poll conducted by Nationen and Klassekampen newspapers showed that 66% say no to Norwegian membership of the EU, and most people prefer the EEA scheme to continue.
While 66% said no to the EU, 22% said yes, and 14% replied that they don’t know. 52% said they would vote yes to the EEA if a referendum was held tomorrow.
27% answered no to the same question, and 21% said they don’t know. These figures were stated in the Sentio poll.
The survey was done among thousands of people balanced by gender, age and geography.
Frp and Rødt most critical
The Fremskrittsparti (Frp) voters were among the most EU and EEA-critical, along with the Rødt and Senterpartiet (Sp) voters. The Arbeiderpartiet (Ap) voters are among the most EEA-positive.
‘It does not surprise me. I think Brexit is contributing to the attitudes our voters have about Norwegian
EU membership. The Frp voters are also very concerned with national independence, or self-determination
if you want’, said Christian Tybring-Gjedde (Frp), who is a member of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee to Nationen.
At the annual conference, in our party manifesto, there was resistance to Norwegian EU membership for the first time. With regard to EU membership, Rødt and Frp have the same low percentage of support for EU membership among their voters, 10%.
Rødt’s deputy leader, Marie Sneve Martinussen, links this to the fact that more and more of those who consider themselves as part of the working class vote for the right-wing parties, especially Frp.
Income and education
Both in terms of EU and EEA membership, the standpoint follows some well-known patterns. According to Klassekampen, there is a clear connection between income and education, and a position for or against the EU and the EEA.
Among those with high school education one finds the highest EU resistance, at 70%. At the same time, the EEA resistance is greatest among those earning between 401,000 and 600,000 kroner a year, at 37%.
‘Many working class people are sceptical about the EEA, and see what the agreement does in the construction, laundry and hotel and restaurant industries. There are conditions applicable we could not see for ourselves ten years ago,’ said Martinussen to Klassekampen newspaper.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
