New polling shows that a strong majority of people would like the UK Government to negotiate a reciprocal Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU.
In a representative poll of 2,054 adults undertaken by Opinium on behalf of Best for Britain,
three in five (59%) said that the UK should negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the EU compared to a mere 15% who are opposed to the idea.
The polling shows that the policy commands majority support in all nations and regions of the UK and among all age groups with 56% of people aged 65+ thinking it's a good idea.
Even people planning to vote Conservative at the next election back the plan (54%) as do half of people who voted to leave the European Union (50%) compared to 29% of Leave voters who think the opposite.
The UK already has successful youth mobility schemes with 13 non-EU countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Iceland, and Uruguay. But crucially, the UK does not currently have a scheme in place with the EU.
A reciprocal EU-UK youth mobility scheme would enable young Brits to live, study and work in the EU’s 27 member states, learning new skills while experiencing new cultures.
Last year, the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission, established and operated by Best for Britain, published 114 evidence based recommendations to improve trading conditions for British businesses which included the negotiation of a reciprocal Youth Mobility Visa Scheme with the EU.
Tom Brufatto, Director of Policy at Best for Britain said,
“A reciprocal youth mobility scheme would broaden the horizons of young British people by allowing them to learn new skills while deepening our cultural ties with Europe. It is win-win for both European countries and the UK.
“Two years of evidence from experts and industry leaders made clear that businesses want a youth mobility scheme and this latest polling shows that the public want it as well.”
This representative poll of 2,054 adults by Opinium on behalf of Best for Britain was undertaken between 6-8 March 2024