Over 60% of UK Voters Will Back 'Remain' Option Amid Brexit Referendum

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 60 percent of UK voters think that the country will remain in the European Union after the upcoming Brexit referendum, a poll revealed on Thursday showed.

In a poll commissioned by tycoon and former Conservative Party Deputy Chairman Michael Ashcroft and revealed by the Guardian newspaper, 65 percent of respondents said that the result of the referendum would be "remain," while 35 percent said "leave" would come on top.

The result comes despite around 40-45 percent of the UK public planning to back Brexit, according to various polls. A number of warnings by the UK government and international financial institutions have recently been issued describing various negative impacts of a potential Brexit on the UK economy.

Of the 5,000 people surveyed, older voters and Conservative supporters were found to be more likely in favor of leaving, with over 60 percent of those aged 45 and over wanting more control over the United Kingdom's internal affairs even if this requires forgoing benefits of cooperation with other countries. Less than 40 percent in the 18-24 age group and around a half of 25-34-year-old respondents agreed with the premise, according to the poll.

Eurosceptic UK Independence Party supporters were by far the most averse to the European Union, with over 80 percent viewing the "stay" option as more risky. Just over half of Conservative supporters agreed with the premise, while less than 40 percent of Labour, Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party supporters thought that remaining in the European Union carried bigger risks than leaving the bloc.

UK citizens are set to vote on June 23 in a referendum on the country's EU membership, after UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of the 27 other EU member states reached a deal in February to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.