New poll: 56% of mechanical engineers back UK staying in the EU

Institution survey shows two to one support for UK remaining in the EU rather than leaving, with a significant number still undecided

A new survey of 2,765 members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has found 56% support the UK staying in the European Union (EU), compared with 27% who say they want the UK to leave and 17% who are undecided.

This compares with results from a similar survey in 2015 which found that 72% supported the UK staying in the EU, while 24% who said they wanted the UK to leave.

The Institution has also outlined the key engineering issues likely to be affected by the EU referendum, which include: access to markets and skills, sourcing foreign investment and research funding and ensuring the UK’s ability to influence and create international engineering codes and standards.

Stephen Tetlow MBE, Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the results:

“The majority of mechanical engineers continue to support the UK staying in the European Union, but these latest results show that the number of engineers who are undecided on how to vote is still relatively high.

“Whatever the outcome of the referendum in June, Government needs to ensure the result does not damage the UK’s vital engineering and manufacturing sectors. Government must focus on the key engineering issues likely to be affected by the decision.  The most pressing are improving access to markets and people with the right skills, ensuring open access to foreign investment and growth in research funding as well as ensuring the UK is still able to continue to play a leading role in influencing European codes and standards.

“The majority (64%) of our professional engineers polled said the uncertainty over the UK’s future in the EU was having a negative effect on UK manufacturing, which could explain recent statistics that show that UK output shrank for the second quarter in a row.

“Almost half (49%) of those surveyed said that leaving the EU would make the UK less attractive as a European base for global manufacturers, while a third (33%) said they were concerned over the potential for trade barriers being imposed if the UK did leave.

 “According to our respondents, the main benefit to the UK’s membership in the EU is better access to markets (46%), however about 60% of the engineers surveyed said that bureaucracy imposed by the EU was detrimental to UK manufacturing and engineering.

“The results of these survey show that the majority of our members support the UK remaining in the EU, however there is a clear desire from the engineering community to see less bureaucracy from Brussels.”

A referendum is being held on Thursday, 23 June to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 113,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.

Summary of results (2765 total members surveyed)