The majority of people we spoke to in Liverpool supported EU membership. Pic by Owen Swift © JMU Journalism
The battle lines have been drawn and campaigning is underway as politicians, business leaders and celebrities have weighed in on whether the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised that the British public will have a chance to vote on the issue in a nationwide referendum within two years, though JMU Journalism decided to test the waters early and survey people in Liverpool for their views on the contentious subject.
We sent a team of nearly 70 reporters out onto the streets of the city centre to ask UK citizens if they think the country should stay in the EU or leave.
As ever with our public polls, the opinions we gathered were very diverse, though the result was conclusive as among 341 people surveyed, 227 (67%) said the UK should retain its membership of the European Union, with 80 (23%) suggesting that it is time to pull out and 34 (10%) stating either that they did not know their answer or care about the matter.
The number of those in favour of sticking within the EU mirrors the 67% of the UK public which voted to stay part of Europe when the question was last posed in a referendum 40 years ago.
Several people we spoke to recalled how they voted back in 1975, including 67-year-old Pauline Bentley of Birkenhead, who said: “I think we should leave. That is the way I voted in the 1970s. The EU shouldn’t govern the UK. We are the United Kingdom. The clue is in the name.”
However, the majority disagreed with that verdict and Liverpool resident Paul Hartley, 52, told JMU Journalism: “We should stay. It’s beneficial to the country as a whole. It means we can continue to trade. I also think there’s other benefits in terms of security.
“I have no issue with the migrant labour, I think it’s a positive thing. In times of recession we get a parochial sense of nationalism, you want to look at your own back yard. It’s bigger than you think.”
Rob Jardine, 40, of West Derby, agreed saying: “Yes we should stay because it is better connection with other countries.
“It makes us stronger to be part of Europe because all the major powers are in Europe as well, like Germany and France. I don’t want to end up having any problems with trade.”
Scroll through the edited comments below to read more of the hundreds of views expressed in our exclusive street survey.
Additional reporting by: Alexandra Amadeo; Anisah Arif; Edward Baldwin; Zak Bamford; Charlie Burgess; Jack Butler; Georgia Clewer; Joanne Cunliffe; Mark Daly; Matthew Davies; Marcello Dotolo; Shaun Driscoll; James Farrington; Oliver Fell; Olivia Friett; Evan Fyfe; Chloe George; Jessica Grieveson-Smith; Emily Griffiths; Samuel Hall; Shelby Hamilton; Amy Harding; Elijah Hartley-Beard; Gemma Jones; Rebecca Jones; Liam Keen; Stephanie Kettle; Gabriele Lala; Adam Leighton; Ross McAuley; Holly McEvoy; Abigail Nicholson; Sean O’Connor; Jordan Reais; Dayna Latham; Sam O’Hara; Violet Pocock; Matthew Ramirez; Marcella Rick; Louis Robinson; Lewis Rooke; Daisy Scott; Matthew Skelly; Laura Smith; Tim Spencer Tanfield; Michael Stokes; Suzy Sankey; Tom Swift; Danielle Thomas; Portia Cherish Testa; Shaniece Thompson; Joe Watson; Lucy Winter; Hannah Wilkinson; Joseph Covell; Alexandra Davies; Junaid Haque; Ross Hilton-Inkpin; Jessica Hughes; Jasper Hunt; Arkadiusz Kiciak; Emily Kinsella; Sara O’Hagan; Glen Robinson; Thomas Sutton; Emily Wall; Bronwen Jones.
Margaret Thornley, 70, Anfield
“Yes we should stay, but they should re-negotiate. It’s too easy to go from country to country. No automatic rights to cross countries.”
Peter Goodwin, 52, Ormskirk
“No we should leave. It started off as a common market and it’s become more than that. I suppose it’s the freedom of movement that’s become the problem.”
Robert Segar, 59, Liverpool
“I’ve been thinking about this today actually. Yes we should stay, to be honest. It’s got future benefits. It’s better to be part of a group than on our own.”
Liz Gould, 63, Southport
“Yes we should stay. We’re stronger in Europe, financially, defence-wise and everything else. It’s more than just a money thing.”
Robert Snell, 33, Manchester
“Yes, massive yes we should stay. It would be financial and economic suicide [to leave]. We do most of our trading in the EU. If we left the EU we’d have to pay a lot more taxes.”
Glynn Stevenson, 45, Chesterfield
“Personally yes, we should stay in. We’re better off inside. There are lots of reasons, economic security etc.”
Peter Moorehouse, 48, Huddersfield
“No we should leave. There are too many bureaucrats in Belgium telling us what we can and can’t do.”
Richard McAllistar, 43 Belfast
“Yes we should stay in. I don’t see the benefits [of leaving] because of the security, we are like a team.”
James Parkes, 21, Liverpool
“Yes we should stay in, it would mean more freedom for other countries to do what they want and stuff.”
Harry Johnson, 28, Birmingham
“I think we should stay in. I don’t know why, but we should.”
Emma Nichols, 34, Northern Ireland
“Stay. I think we should not isolate ourselves from Europe, because it benefits us.”
Matthew Crowder, 24, Liverpool
“Stay in. basically because of trade and the sanctions that we would face if we get out of it, we won’t function if we leave.”
Peter Waterson, 36, Liverpool
“We’re screwed either way, so I don’t know. Thinking about holidays, the travelling is easier. If we come out of the EU, and turned around and said Britain is going to be Great Britain, I’m all for it.”
Trevor Clare, Newcastle
“Stay. Without a doubt. Because of safety, there’s too much unknown if we pull out.”
Brad Williams, 18, Liverpool
“I don’t have a clue. I don’t watch the news so I couldn’t say.”
Michael Gilmore, 19, Liverpool
“Stay. I don’t really care because I don’t know much about it.”
Sam Smith, 28, Liverpool
“Leave, definitely. We would save money, because we don’t benefit from anything.”
Grace Holmes, 21, Nottingham
“I don’t know – I can’t really answer. I don’t know anything about it.”
Thomas Peet, St Helens
“Yes, having paid a lot into it we should he gotten lots back from it by now. I’m undecided, but I’m leaning towards yes, because I think we should stay, we just need to make some adjustments. We need to reduce over burdening costs and I really think Mr Cameron could do it. Even though we’ve paid over the odds I think it could help avoid world wars, especially with current threats from ISIS. We need to stay.”
Ben Thomas, 18, Liverpool
“Stay in. With all the trade that we do it’s helpful.”
Ann Finlay, 69, Wallasey
“Stay, I just think it’s better all together when we are all unified.”
Joe Watson, 42, Leicestershire
“We should come out, because we are paying more than we get out. It’s not benefitting the economy.”
Tracy Bland, 42, Bedfordshire
“I think we should come out, because the regulations in the EU don’t match the ones in the UK. They’re trying to influence it on the UK and it clearly doesn’t work. That’s why we should be out of the EU.”
Michael Stevens, Liverpool.
“I think they should come out, because I reckon the economy will benefit more. I’m Conservative, that’s why.”
David Smith, 22, Salisbury
“I never thought it was a good idea to come out of the EU. I feel like if we’re together, it will be better in numbers. Looking at historical sources, everyone sort of seems to dwindle when they’re on their own. I think it’s better if they’re in groups.”
Pat Brifton, 70, Meols
“We should stay in, because we’re better off in the EU. Clearly, for trade reasons and it keeps things more on an even keel, especially after the war.”
Bob Darlington, 46, Liverpool
“We should come out, because they’ve been shafted left right and centre. We should be more independent and shouldn’t be governed by the other countries’ laws.”
James Walker, 64, Liverpool
“Stay in, because we belong in the European Union. It creates more work in this country and especially in Liverpool it also benefits tourism.”
Emma Lomax, 18, Wirral
“They should stay in. It will bring a lot of effort to come out and it will also divide and cause distress amongst countries. It’s going to cause many issues in the UK if we come out of the European Union which are not needed.”
Ruth Brown, 71, St Helens
“Out. We can just do as well on our own as we did years ago. All the money that we’re giving into the EU, I think we can do just as well on our own.”
James Brown, 71, St Helens
“I think we should stay in. In my opinion, without Europe, there would be no support and we get a lot of work. There’s no industry and we don’t produce anything so it’s better to be part of the EU.”
Bruce Robertson, Dundee
“We should come out because there are too many restrictions. In this country if you choose to do something, you’ve got to do something else because you’re part of the European Union. You can’t do your own thing.”
Jane Cane, 51, Liverpool
“They should stay in because things will get more expensive. We’re more protected if we stay.”
Liam Rutterford, 35, Oxford
“We need the backup, if anything ever happens we need Europe to be with us, we need to be in there. That’s our closest ally, don’t you think?”
Janet Tillett, 64, Huyton
“I don’t think we should stay. I think we give too much money to other people and not to our own.”
Sue Faulkner, 59, Aigburth
“No I don’t think we should stay because it’s a non-democratic organisation and non-profitable. It’s not voluntarily elected and they crushed the Greeks.”
Arabella Myers, 20, Stoke
“Stay in. I’m a bit of a traveller myself so I think we should all kind of rely on each other and be integrated and be able to go into countries and share what we have.”
Florence Slater, Liverpool
“Yes I think we should stay, we’ve been in it long enough now haven’t we? And we fought to get there.”
Lynne McDonald, 50, Wirral
“I don’t know – It’s a hard question that, it’s got its pros and cons. I don’t think you could say yes or no to that. I don’t like that they’ve got control of the economy. If we leave we will have to pay more for goods.”
David McCarthy, 29, Liverpool
“No I don’t think we should stay, the EU is too unreliable. Look at what happened to Greece.”
Adrian Carter, 51, London
“Yes, I think we should, we’re better a fighting force than battling against them.”
Dean Vickery, 24, Liverpool
“Yes stay, it brings a lot of trade but it does cost a lot.”
Dave Moss, 50, Blackpool
“I think we’ve paid far too much out and not enough in and we seem a soft touch in so much that you get other countries who are not contributing as much.”
Jim Palmer, 61, Co. Down
“We should probably stay, yes. I’m not very educated on the matter but it’s good for the business sector, it’s been effective. We need an alternative arrangement so Britain isn’t out in the cold.”
Karen Manford, 60, Prenton
“We should stay in the EU. We’re alright as we are, the positives outweigh the negatives.”
Joseph O’Malley, 72, Liverpool
“I’m all in favour of leaving. I think we’ve lost our sovereign position in the world. My main opposition would be the border controls. If Turkey join we’ll have an extra 56 million in the EU, that’s not sustainable.”
Ben Smith, 22, Liverpool
“I don’t know. I haven’t really taken much notice, so I’m going off other people’s opinions. I gather a few of people aren’t very happy about it. I can see why they aren’t, but there’s a lot of pros and cons. The trade is vital.”
Colm Sullivan, 67, Liverpool
“I think we should stay, I really do. Look around, the amount of money has been really good. I’m from a farming background and the economy it generated back in the 1970s when people were on their knees, it was a big help and we shouldn’t forget that.”
Sam Robinson, 71, Wallasey
“No we shouldn’t leave. I’m too old for that change, I’m quite happy as it is. We should stay as we are, there’s no need for change.”
John Gardener, 44, Liverpool
“I don’t really know much about it but the open trade is definitely a good thing. I would like to know how much it really does generate for us. It should be like Australia, a points system, that’s what we need. We have enough people and we should see who we need economic wise.”
William Charlton, 60, Liverpool
“I’d stay. I don’t understand it all. Anything to make it easier. Although there’s enough people who can’t look after themselves in this country without more people coming in.”
Ella Vaccaro, 21, Southport
“I don’t really have an opinion. It can be a good thing but we need to look after each other. I think there should be more restrictions, especially regarding benefits.”
Steve Fallows, 38, Liverpool
“I don’t know. To be honest, there are that many pros and cons it’s more than what people are making of it. There are good points for both but no one knows the whole story, so I couldn’t make a decision.”
Annie Lloyd, 26, Liverpool
“I don’t think it [leaving the EU] a good idea, just for trading purposes the economy I don’t think we could stand by ourselves as well as we could with other countries. I think we could do a lot more to get involved with the EU, to make it better and more profitable.”
David Llewellyn, 64, Birmingham
“Well, there’s no question, we have to stay in the EU. We need the insurance of peace in Europe. From my point of view, it’s economically sensible. It’s a buttress against extremists and fruitcakes.”
Matthew Attwood, 37, Liverpool
“Yes I think it’s fine to leave, I’m not that fussed about it. It doesn’t really bother me that much. I’m not even interested in politics.”
Phillip Shaw, 61, York
“I think we should stay, because that’s what I believe is best for the UK we’ve got to manage our involvement, contribution and liabilities. We need to be in a qualified state.”
Heather Shaw, 59, York
“I don’t have an opinion on this at all, I don’t know anything about it. There’s not enough information, I don’t listen to the information there is on purpose because I don’t believe it’s unbiased. So I can’t make a proper judgement.”
Les Prince, 65, Brighton
“As long as they keep the social charter, I’m for staying in the EU. I can’t see the difference from being governed from Brussels or London… we have got as much in common with them.”
Graham Carswell, 66, Liverpool
“I’m for leaving, but I’m torn to be honest, although I think the institutions of the EU are anti-democratic, I don’t know whether our government is particular democratic, that’s even worse. Part of it is because we are being ruled by a politicised civil service. Really, to me, that’s against how we think in Britain. Having said that I still feel very strongly our ties to Western Europe, because I have friends in Italy. I think part of the problem is that it’s conflated with the course of human rights and I think people are fed up with a liberal view of justice that it’s not actually justice. I think it’s important to have an opinion otherwise you might as well be dead.”
Rebecca Woof, 23, Liverpool
“I don’t care much about it, is that really bad? I don’t concern myself with politics because it doesn’t affect me.”
Yemi Lawrence, 40, Liverpool
“That’s a tough one. I think we should stay in the EU, because I think it’s better for us financially and I don’t think we should isolate ourselves form the rest of Europe. It’s better for us to stay for economic and safety reasons.”
Mike Waters, 32, Wirral
“I don’t know. To be honest there isn’t as much easily available information to form an opinion on it. I think there should be more information readily available, you need to be a financial expert to give an actual opinion behind it. Some people want to get rid of all the ‘immigrants’. You know there are pros and cons to everything and I don’t think it’s easy to say definitively one way or the other. It would be better to stay in Europe but who knows, it might be worth the risk. I would personally prefer to distance ourselves from the US as I don’t like how dependent we are on them.”
John McKenzie, 55, Liverpool
“We should stay in the EU because there are so many more benefits of being in than leaving. It’s the security of being in a bigger group.”
Jane Smith, 41, Widnes
“We shouldn’t leave, in my opinion, for financial reasons. The pound is actually doing really well at the moment, much better than the Euro.”
Mark Jones, 18, Liverpool
“I don’t know really. I’ve never really been into politics. The whole thing doesn’t really interest me.”
Steve McNally, 51, Bootle
“I don’t know, I’m not really a political person. I belong to God, so I don’t feel I have any allegiance to any country as it would be treason against God.”
Dave Johnson, 68, Liverpool
“I think we should get out, so we can close the borders. I don’t like the idea of laws coming from somewhere else. I used to support the common market but I think now we’re getting too many European laws. I visited Brussels and the EU parliament and I think it’s a waste of money having two parliaments when we already have one in London.”
Pauline Bentley, 67, Birkenhead
“I think we should leave. That is the way I voted in the 1970s. The EU shouldn’t govern the UK. We are the United Kingdom. The clue is in the name.”
Robert Bentley, 66, Birkenhead
“I think it would be a good thing to leave. I voted against being included in the EU parliament in the 70s. It’s more democratic to govern your own country.”
Carly Peele, 18, Liverpool
“Well, I’ve studied economics and I think we should leave because being the EU is bad for the economy.”
Ray George, 52, Liverpool
“I think we should stay because we have security from being within the European Union. There is a lot of anti-EU bias at the moment, especially in the media.”
Marie George, 50, Liverpool
“I wouldn’t like us to leave the EU because we do good trade with the other European countries, which needs to continue.”
Lynne Sellers, 26, Manchester
“It’s a bad idea to leave because it’s good to have security and safety in numbers.”
Katie Smith, 19, Liverpool
“I think we shouldn’t leave because there is no one for the government to answer to. They need to be accountable to someone.”
Charlotte Smart, 21, Stafford
“Yes, I think we should stay in the EU, we get a lot of good trade from it. It’s easier to transfer goods. I don’t think it would hinder trade if we left it though.”
Steve Dunkley, 50, Wirral
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave the EU. We get too many benefits for being a part of the EU, financially and culturally. If we left we would be like an isolated island in the middle of nowhere.”
Matthew Payne, 20, Yorkshire
“We should stay. I think generally because of exports, it would absolutely cripple us in the global scheme of things. We wouldn’t be able to compete with any major countries. I think we should rearrange our agreement with the EU.”
John Joe McNulty, Liverpool
“I hope they don’t [leave the EU]. We’d lose all the benefits that promote freedom of movement with services.”
Susan Kelly, 20, Co. Tyrone
“I hope they don’t leave the EU. We wouldn’t be able to visit relatives in the South of Ireland. People with an Irish passport, like myself, would find it difficult to move around.”
Debbie O’Neill, 52, Liverpool
“I don’t really know, I don’t understand it much.”
Billy Gandy, 48, Liverpool
“No, we shouldn’t leave the EU, because of the human rights. I’m disabled and have rights, but if the government got its way, I would lose them.”
Alex Jones, 18, Burscough
“I think we should stay in the EU. If we leave the EU, then small business will start to fail and die out.”
Georgie Raberjot, 18, Birmingham
“I think it would be silly to leave the EU. Being a part of the EU gives us a say. If we were to leave the EU, Britain would have no say.”
Luke Stockton, 18, Manchester
“No I don’t think we should leave the EU because of the trade links. The international links are important over topics of immigration and the environment.”
Suzannah Harwood, 32, Loughborough
“I don’t know, it depends. For some things it works, but for others it doesn’t. It’s amazing to be able to go to other countries and have good health care. But when it comes to the benefit system I don’t think it’s fair. There’s got to be caps and limits.”
Joseph McDonnell, 40, Liverpool
“I’d get out of it. I think there’s too many foreigners in the country. I’m not racist but they’re not checking people’s backgrounds, but I enjoy the different ways and cultures people from outside the EU bring.”
Mike Tickle, 31, Liverpool
“I’d stay in it, because I’d like the circumstances of the UK to stay the same.”
Ian McDermot, 73, Scotland
“I’d stay in it, because firstly the EU was formed to prevent wars. We also have good trade unions and partners with other countries.”
Stephen McClellan, 18, Liverpool
“Yes I’d stay in it, to keep things the way that they are. The currency might deplete if we leave the EU.”
Spencer Wride, 18, Manchester
“I’d stay in. It’s better for international relationships.”
Tommy Linster, 69, Liverpool
“Yes, I’d stay in. All of our finances come from there. We put as much in as we get out though.”
Joanne Murray, 43, Liverpool
“I don’t know. Since we went into the EU, it’s all gone to pot. I think we should have stayed on our own.”
Joan Clay, 79, West Kirby, Wirral
“No, we shouldn’t stay in the EU. We can’t govern ourselves and we can’t abide by our own laws. We need to stay separate and we should be able to help our own country first.”
Maurice McCracken, 37, Belfast
“I see sense in both sides, but I think we should stay in the EU because it’d be better for the economy. I can see why people would disagree due to immigration.”
Sandra Dooley, 62, Liverpool
“Yes I think we should stay in the EU. We benefit from being a part of Europe. I don’t think we should damage trade unions or isolate ourselves.”
Patricia Crawford, 79, West Derby
“We should stay in if we get the right conditions. I don’t think we should have all these laws but it’s good for trade and business. But on the other hand, we have to have our own boundaries.”
Louise Taplin, 42, Hoylake
“I don’t know, I’m not that informed but we can we still go to the European Courts if we’re not in the EU?”
Cath Taylor, 77, Liverpool
“I’m a bit on the fence because I voted we should leave the EU at first but now I’m not too sure.”
Perry Richardson, 24, Bedford
“Yes we should stay in the EU. We get a lot of rubbish from the EU but we do get cheap travel and good imports.”
Barry Thompson, 48, Liverpool
“Yes I think we should stay in the EU. I think we get more benefits than what we put in.”
Nigel Perry, 46, Wirral
“Yes we should stay in. It’s good for safeguarding human rights and possible common defence but its economic rules and regulations go too far sometimes.”
Ruth Babington, 21, Northern Ireland
“Yes we should stay in because, I’m not sure if it’s true but, I heard that we would have to apply for visas to go to other countries like France and Spain.”
Alex Jones, 29, Liverpool
“Yes because a lot of things such as food and drink we import will cost more and that will affect the public.”
Richie Mason, 62, Aigburth
“Yes, in principle I would like to stay in the EU, although I don’t believe in borders. I felt the same way about Scotland and their independence as well.”
Ronnie Chapman, 71, Aigburth
“Yes, I think we would be in trouble if we leave the EU because there’s that much money involved which I think will affect businesses. If we’re out of it we don’t get the same treatment.”
James Hardy, 18, Sheffield
“I think we should stay. I think it would be a bad idea to leave because there is big trade in Europe and a lot of money comes in from that. Other people say that we shouldn’t stay in it because we get bullied by Europe.”
Liz Morgan, 63, Liverpool
“I think we should stay. We’re better being part of a bigger thing rather than being isolated on our own. There’s lots of benefits, we get all the European money as well.”
Anne Cullen, 64, Liverpool
“I think we should leave. There’s too many migrants coming now, it’s getting beyond a joke. I think it’s really terrible that they’re getting in boats and the children are dying but if we put a stop to it… I know it would still happen but not to the extent that it is going on now.”
Georgia Smeaton, 18, Wirral
“We should stay. There is lots of trade that comes to the EU through us, such as car dealerships and we would lose lots of money and jobs.”
Sophie Lewis, 34, Llandudno
“I think we should stay in the EU. I think it will affect our economy if we go it alone.”
Graham Benson, 65, Huyton
“We should stay. It’s too late to get out now. We’ve been in it for nearly 50 years, there’s too much established to just leave.”
Mary Glover, 71, St Helens
“I think we should stay in. Because of the trade and things like that and you’re not alone then, if we come out then we’re on our own.”
Ken Glover, 72, St Helens
“I think we should stay. We need a better say in the EU, [David] Cameron needs to negotiate something better than what we’ve got like [Margaret] Thatcher did. We were quite powerful then in Europe, we’re not as powerful these days.”
Angela Brooksbank, 53, Liverpool
“I don’t know. I don’t think we would be better off if we leave, but even if we stayed everything would stay the same. Our country isn’t looking after our country, it’s looking after others instead of ours.”
Cathy Dowdall, 55, Wirral
“No, we should leave. I think we would be far better trading with America. I’m glad we never joined the European currency.”
Neil Collins, 76, Liverpool
“From what I’ve read, it’s the best thing for us to stay in.”
Shereena Bambrick, 23, Liverpool
“Yes but I couldn’t give you a reason on why we should stay really, it’s what I’ve known and it’s secure.”
Jake Smith, 20, Liverpool
“Yes [we should stay in]. It’s safer as a whole.”
Jane Powell, 45, Liverpool
“We should stay in, for security.”
Helena Parker, 18, Liverpool
“We should stay in the EU, it’s where I live. I’m just used to it.”
David Evans, 69, Liverpool
“No. They (The EU) haven’t done much good for us in the last 40 years.”
Damon Evans, 45, Wales
“We’d be worse off out of the EU.”
Michael Brash, 20, Liverpool
“Stay. The Daily Mail says we should leave and therefore we should stay. We should do the opposite of what the Daily Mail says.”
Greg Joyner, 25, Glasgow
“Yes [we should stay]. I work in research science and a lot of funding comes from the EU. It’s for selfish reasons.”
Brian Nevitt, 20, Liverpool
“Leave the EU. I don’t believe it’s benefitting us. I don’t believe the EU is good for the UK.”
Brian Skinner, 69, Liverpool
“I do want to stay actually now we’re in it, but when we first wanted to go in I didn’t. Now, we’ve got too many ties to get back where we were originally.”
Anne Williams, 76, South Wales
“We should stay. I think it’s better in than out. From a business point of view and for the future of our young people, definitely in.”
Jacqueline Fiddman, 66, The Wirral
“Yes I do [think we should stay]. I think because we’re too small and it’s too dangerous on our own. It will be a bit expensive to get out.”
Joan Grace, 75, Halewood
“We should stay. Yes in one way because I think we need to progress as a country.”
Chris Goodfellow, 54, Liverpool
“Stay in. I think as trade partners and allies we have power. We don’t want to be stuck with the US or China, neither of which I think are a good choice.”
James Cubbin, 29, Liverpool
“Stay because of the money. We’d struggle on our own.”
Michael Corner, 62, Leicestershire
“Yes [we should stay], for trade we are better off together because being separate we’ve not benefited.”
Anne Corner, 56, Leicestershire
“Yes [we should stay], for trade and they are more advanced on some legislation and there is a bit of protection from this government.”
Michael Walker, 42, Stoke
“No [leave the EU], I just think they are better off on their own. They are milking the country.”
Luke McCarten, 27, Liverpool
“Yes [we should stay], I don’t feel part of Europe, I think they have a much healthier lifestyle, the Scandinavian countries in particular. Finland who are in the EU, I just feel that the whole thing is just better.”
Anthony Doyle, 54, Liverpool
“Out, the policy on immigration and trade, we are better off out, the UK is a great country and they are on about not being able to trade with other countries again, and when they start blackmailing you there is something wrong. We should get out and get on our way to being a great country once again.”
David Joyce, 19, Liverpool
“Stay in, we are too deeply involved to get out now I think.”
Andy Johnson, 36, Liverpool
“The media seem to think yes. I haven’t really sat down with the Sunday papers and considered my opinion, but I think I would say yes [to staying in the EU].”
Liz Brisk, 26, Liverpool
“Stay – it saves all the fussing, arguing and messing and all that business.”
Mike Cavanagh, 40, Wirral
“Stay in, for strength and unity.”
Frank Jones, 58, Liverpool
“We are better off in it, for protection, for people.”
Janet Smith, 55, Lichfield
“Yes [to staying in the EU], for relations, for products, for trade.”
Alan Stubbs, 60, Dover
“We should stay. We burnt our bridges with the Commonwealth. As a country we supply more to the European Union than we do anywhere else.”
Carla Cunningham, 36, Crosby
“Stay. I just think that as one we are stronger than being on our own.”
Bill Murdoch, 68, Garston
“It’s too late [to leave] now. To start with, we shouldn’t have joined when we were an empire. Now, we’ve got schoolchildren, not students, running the country and the only fight that this idiot in number 10 has had was in the tuck shop in his public school. He has never worked, doesn’t know anything about working or surviving, he just used to go to his mother and the one he is married to with mattresses stuffed with money. It should be normal people running the country, like me and you.”
Alan Collins, Prescot
“If it was damaging to trade, then obviously I would vote to stay but I don’t really know.”
Bill Murray, Liverpool
“Yes [we should leave]. We don’t seem to be doing very well as we are, I don’t think this government is helping the poor end of society but we are stuck with them for five years so there is not a lot we can do. It doesn’t seem it be helping us being in Europe, only those guys with loads of money.”
Sid Bowles, Aigburth
“Stay. I think if we leave the EU, we will be on our own and I think Europe will wipe us out like they do on the signing competition every year.”
Lillian Muscat, Liverpool
“No, we should get out. I voted for the commonwealth. It’s too much money we are sending to them. Give us our rules back thanks. When I voted for the common market, it was to trade, not to be ruled by France, Germany or anywhere else. My father fought for freedom in the war and that is what I don’t like about it.”
Mary Marshall, Cantril Farm
“I think we can do better without it. It’s dead cheaper, we would have more variety in what to eat and what to pick.”
Martin Price, Birkenhead
“It’s too late to get out in all ways, we are too far in it to the point where it is virtually impossible to get out.”
Richard Reed, Crosby
“I’ve changed my mind lately. It sounds good but sort of stepping into the unknown in a way. So, I’m dithering as I don’t really know right now. If you asked me six months ago I would have said yes, leave it. It just seems to be eurocratic, seems to be so many rules and regulations, however lately I’ve started to change my mind a little bit because if we do go out, who knows what the future holds? We’ve been told that it will lose us thousands and thousands of jobs but whether that is true or not, who knows?”
Julian Jones, 45, Liverpool
“Stay in, better trade.”
Amy Williams, 20, Liverpool
“Stay. Why should we drop out? It benefits us.”
Anthony Marshall, 33, Newcastle
“I’m happy to be in it, we should not exclude ourselves.”
Lauren Shaw, 20, Liverpool
“Stay in because of trade.”
Chris Moss, 25, Manchester
“We are better off in, I reckon. Definitely in because if we stay out it will cause a lot of trouble to the UK.”
Anthony Watts, 63, Liverpool
“I personally want us to get out. It does not benefit the UK and it has left its original idea to trade.”
Patrick Botham, 48, North Wales
“No, get out of the rules they’re trying to impose.”
Margaret Pitt, 62, Liverpool
“Yes, stay because we export and import a lot of business through Europe.”
David Harrison, 55, Liverpool
“Yes I think we should stay, I like the idea of free movement around Europe for people.”
Andrew Steven, 48, Liverpool
“Yes I do. Staying is better for the country via trade employment and jobs.”
Mike Jones, 25, Liverpool
“I think it is time to leave. We need to start creating more jobs and rebooting the economy.”
Dan Abdous, 20, Liverpool
“I think they should leave because we need the freedom to control our own borders. At the moment we are letting too many people in and I think eventually we will become overcrowded.”
Tom Granger, 24, Somerset
“I definitely think we should stay. I believe in the idea of freedom of movement.”
Lisa Lyons, 19, Manchester
“I don’t really know or care. I don’t follow politics so am not really interested what happens.”
Angela Penny, 47, London
“Stay in. Probably because I like the idea of a bigger nation where people are able to move easily from country to country without hassle, rather than being isolated as a sort of empire.”
Simon Clark, 25, Leeds
“Yes I think we should stay. I think generally it’s good for most socio-economic benefits. I think also because I’m from the Department of Science the EU put a lot of regulations out and the problem is without a singular regulatory body everyone could just do what they want and considering that a lot of environmental issues are to do with crossing boundaries we need a unified approach to sorting them.”
Marie Smith, 64, Liverpool
“I think that they should come out. I just believe we could do much better on our own, for what it costs us each year the money could be used more effectively in other areas.”
Jim Tyson, 32, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in because it produces a lot of economic benefits that are needed to regenerate the poorer parts of the country that our government doesn’t seem to invest in at the moment.”
Mathew Jones, 19, Wales
“I think the UK should stay because as a whole I believe it will be safer. It will also be better for businesses across the country.”
Alison Bryant, 55, Bristol
“I think in. In some respects it is just a failsafe mechanism to protect our economy really.”
Josh Harris, 26, Wirral
“I would prefer for the UK to stay in it because of the trade and the industry. Yes, I definitely want us to stay in.”
David McEvoy, 29, St Helens
“I am not really political. I would say from the limited knowledge that we should probably stay in the EU. That is just from friends and family, and their opinions really.”
James Frost, 21, Sunderland
“I think we should leave it. I think the country would be better off without. I think it would be better as an independent country.”
Phil Davies-Peerless, 37, Wirral
“In, I just think. I wouldn’t want the country to be isolated from a business point of view. We should stick together as one rather than go our separate ways.”
Fay Edgar, 56, Arbroath
“I don’t know yet. I’m still undecided about it. I won’t look at it until nearer the time.”
Alexander Hall, 18, Chesterfield
“I don’t know. I was very for it but now I am not so sure. Isn’t the membership really very expensive? And the powers from Brussels seem hierarchal, they are not really equal and breed inequality.”
Sandra Jones, 46, Devon
“Out. Because they have too much control over all of our laws. We need to have our own mind about it.”
Teresa Macklin, 79, Skelmersdale
“Get out. We should be out of it. We should not have got in it in the first place. We should have control of ourselves.”
James Hilton, 79, Woolton
“I want to get out because I believe this country should be sovereign, independent and free. We fought two world wars to be that way and now we are just giving it away, totally giving it away.”
Paul Hartley, 52, Liverpool
“We should stay. It’s beneficial to the country as a whole. It means we can continue to trade. I also think there’s other benefits in terms of security. I have no issue with the migrant labour, I think it’s a positive thing. In times of recession we get a parochial sense of nationalism, you want to look at your own back yard. It’s bigger than you think.”
Mark Nevitt, 45, Liverpool
“I don’t think the arguments have been well enough on each side personally. On balance I would rather staying in because I know there’s more to lose from not being in the EU. The arguments have been made robustly on either side.”
June Finch, 44, Cardiff
“I think we should stay in. The main reason is just as individuals it gives us flexibility to move and work around Europe. It’s fantastic for individuals and I haven’t heard any argument to leave makes any economic sense.”
Chris Gregg, 18, Wavertree
“Yes, it’s the general opinion [to stay in the EU]. I don’t have any facts to back it up but it takes a lot of responsibility off us. If we were independent we would give ourselves a lot more decisions to make. I just don’t think we need to make those kind of decisions ourselves.”
Daniel Hedgecock, 23, Derbyshire
“Yes, I just think it’s a back-up insurance, a little bit of a safeguard. I also don’t trust the British government.”
Connor Rosso, 19, Wirral
“Yes I think we should stay. It’s going alright now isn’t it? It’s better we’re a part of the EU for situations that may arise.”
Frances Giles, 24, South Wales
“Yes [stay]. Because being in the EU is the reason we haven’t had any more wars. It was set up for a good reason.”
Lauren Benson, 20, York
“Yes [stay]. It’s a good system and it’s good to know we’ve got other countries to back us up.”
Jack Bell, 21, Wirral
“Yes [stay]. It means Europe can kind of co-operate together. I think it provides security and back-up.”
Liam Malone, 19, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in it, but not under a Tory government. I don’t read into the Tories that much but I do read in to Labour.”
Carolyn Burns, 43, Liverpool
“Yes I do [think the UK should stay]. I think that it’s good for the country to stay in the EU. I don’t really know too much about it.”
Peter Jones, 59, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in. We need it. We’d be a mess without it. It brings us a lot of trade.”
Andre Berry, 53, Buckley, North Wales
“We should stay in. We have delusions of empire still. We think we’re a very powerful nation in the world. I don’t think we’re any longer that. Unless were part of Europe we’ll be a two bit player.”
Graham Smith, 62, Derby
“We should leave the EU. It’s not all it says it is. There’s a hidden agenda.”
Alan Baltimore, 45, Wirral
“No, we should be out. It’s all a big con. The EU are deceiving us.”
Mike Moore, 21, Liverpool
“We should be out. There’s too much of a dictatorship. They shouldn’t control our country.”
Marie Kerr, 56, Wiltshire
“We should be within the EU. There’s fors and againsts, but on balance we’ll be better off.”
Lisa Brown, 32, Prescot
“I think we should leave. They do nothing for us, they make decisions about our country when they don’t live here.
Ellie Grey, 20, Manchester
“We should stay in. It’s worked up until now so why would we leave.”
Martin Hope, 28, Liverpool
“We should stay in. The EU brings good trade links for us.”
Tom Noble, 36, Liverpool
“I think 100% we should leave. We need to be able to run our own country. Only we know what’s best for us.”
Ian Dredden, 25, Perth
“Deifnitely stay in the EU. Open borders are better for the EU and for the UK especially.”
Nasim Khan, 19, London
“We should stay in the EU, because it helps our country and business. It helps with trade, the main issue would be that we would cut our ties with other countries.”
Becky Jones, 18, Wolverhampton
“I think that we should stay in the EU because I think that we have good trade partners with the Trade Union. I think that if we left the EU we would lose that. If we left the EU the Sterling would go down and the country would economically spiral.”
Ian McCloughin, 54, Tuebrook
“No [the UK should leave] because the country has gone to the dogs since it has been in there. It’s in a worse state than when we were in before. The main issue with staying in is that we would get poorer and poorer, it’s like the Germans have won the war.”
Conor Proudman, 18, Congleton
“I think we should stay as it provides good trade, stronger bonds with different countries. If something was to happen then we have alliances across the union to support us.”
Patricia Higgins, 68, Berkshire
“I’d like to be independent, the EU is not doing us any favours and it is costing the country money. If we were to stay in the EU it would continue to cost us money and they could dictate to us what we can and can’t do law-wise.”
Terry Neary, 48, Liverpool
“Stay. I think it would be better off altogether with the rest of Europe.”
Helen Treddle, 50, Huyton
“Yes stay, because it is much better and stronger to be with other people. Also we will definitely want to be trading with Europe and that is why it’s much better, being in Europe.”
David Nolan, 41, Crosby
“Stay, for peace and prosperity. If we were to leave we would have to follow the same rules and we would have no say in what the rules are.”
Elisha McCrory, 18, Newcastle
“I think we should stay probably, it seems to be better for everyone else and not just us. Obviously there is a lot of controversy over refugees. I think that we would do better and I don’t think that closing ourselves of from the rest of Europe would help us, we’d lose out trade wise.”
Emily O’ Loughlin, 20, Northern Ireland
“Stay. It is better altogether, if we left there wouldn’t be as much support then. We’d separate ourselves from other countries.”
Rebecca Kelsall, 20, Manchester
“Stay, I think that we’ve paid a lot to join. If we were in a financial crisis or war we would need them, especially now.”
Jasmine Fancourt, 19, Lake District
“No, I don’t think they should [leave]. I think the UK is stable. I think the EU is also stable. I don’t think pulling out of the European Union would change much.”
Beth Hindley, 24, Liverpool
“I don’t think we should leave. Not really, but I don’t know much about it. Obviously we are quite a powerful country. I think there’s enough friction between the other countries in the EU anyway, without us becoming independent. ”
Laura Gizzi, 37, Hertfordshire
“Definitely become independent, Britain should be Britain. We used to be one of the top nations, we’re nothing now are we? Anything we own is gone now. All these countries getting into debt. No, I think we should not be a part of the EU.”
Muray McLaughlin, 18, Bolton
“I think we should probably stay in the EU. There’s more support from other countries. ”
Charlea Bowers, 20, Wirral
“It’s not a good idea [to leave]. I like the way we are. I don’t think we would benefit from being an independent country and I don’t think anything needs to change. I think we’d lose more than we gain. ”
Eleanor Webb, 16, Lytham
“Yes I think we should [stay]. We have economic stability and we can take risks. At the same time, this could go terribly wrong like what had happened with Spain, but I still think it’s a good idea.”
Jason Burke, 21, Liverpool
“We shouldn’t move out of the EU. We get a lot of help from them. We support them, they support us.”
June Smith, 72, Whiston
“I think we should stay in. All my friends agree. I think we stay and let Scotland go.”
Sheena Farr, 55, Cheshire
“I think it’s a bad idea [to leave the EU]. Because the prosperity of the country relies on trade and people like you who are looking for jobs and you are more likely to have a job if we’re in the EU. I’m a minority of my age group.”
Neil Spencer, 58, Liverpool
“We should leave because we put more money out than we are bringing in. We should look after ourselves.”
Andrew Leader, 59, Liverpool
“We should leave because we are paying billions of pounds for no reason.”
Jay Ashton, 17, West Derby
“We should stay because of more security.”
Graham Lloyd, 52, Liverpool
“I think we should leave and look after our own. We can’t look after our own people on the streets and we have to look after them before giving money to other people in other countries.”
John Jackson, 34, Liverpool
“Stay in it. I’ve just come back from Germany and I think we should stay because it is giving advantages to people already in Europe. I think it will be a good idea for this country to bring in the Euro as well because there is no reason not to if we are already part of Europe.”
Alix Quinn, 20, Liverpool
“Leave, it’s better for businesses because they will make more profit and won’t have to pay as much tax. Due to lots of legal things, they are not getting as much money as they should.”
Stephen Lloyd, 42, Liverpool
“Stay, we will be on our own if we leave. It was bad years ago when we were on our own. There’s a lot more money now that we are in the EU. The development in Liverpool wouldn’t have happened and we wouldn’t have been the Capital of Culture.”
Rob Jardine, 40, West Derby
“Yes we should stay because it is better connection with other countries. It makes us stronger to be part of Europe because all the major powers are in Europe as well, like Germany and France. I don’t want to end up having any problems with trade.”
Tazmin Coyle, 22, Northern Ireland
“We should definitely stay because if we leave, we are cutting all links with the EU. We couldn’t really move around Europe, it will be a bad idea.”
Patricia Redhead, 72, Liverpool
“Stay, it is safer the way things are going now, you never know what is going to happen, so we are safer in a group rather than on our own. The other countries act as protection.”
Patricia Murray, 54, Wirral
“Leave. I think that we should just get out of it because of all the trouble that it is causing with everyone else like the money situation and everything.”
Nina Naji, 52, Liverpool
“I think they should get out because I don’t agree with everything. The economy has gone worse since we’ve been in it. I don’t think it’s doing us any just at all; we will be better financially to leave.”
Jean Kehoe, 59, Liverpool
“Yes, I think we should be out [out of the EU]. I don’t like the politics of today and what the country has become. I used to be so proud of this country. I have travelled to many places and I used to be proud to call myself British. I am no longer proud.”
Daniel Warren, 19, Liverpool
“Yes, stay in. It is about being together – united. We are all on the same planet.”
Claire McKenzie, 33, North Liverpool
“I think we should stay in as we have more to gain. I don’t think our government is good or strong enough to stand on its own.”
Brian Gillespie, 58, Liverpool
“Out. I think we should leave. We are worse off staying in.”
Rebecca Greyston, 20, Preston
“I don’t know. I don’t know much about it so I don’t have a sound opinion.”
Brent Sanson, 42, Chester
“Stay in. I think trading with Europe creates economic stability. We would be worse off if we left.”
Daniella Sara, 18, North London
“Yes [stay I the EU] but I don’t know a lot about it, I haven’t been educated enough on it. I don’t do politics. I think yes we should stay though due to regulations and policies. Being part of the EU regulates that.”
Amy Simmons, 20, Widnes
“Yes, we should stay in. However, I don’t know much about it to make a proper statement.”
Daryn Nyatange, 19, Milton Keynes
“Yes we should stay in. There is more cost benefits and we would be worse off if we left one hundred per cent. We would exist in isolation if we left the EU.”
Louis Kearns, 28, Liverpool
“Well I’m in the Labour party so I think it would be pretty pointless leaving. We talk about it a lot, the policies are right and it would create jobs in the economy. It’s better to be in the tempest than outside the tempest.”
Adrienne Crawford, 51, Worcestershire
“I think we should come out. I think we would be better off financially and independently.”
Robert Corlett, 70, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in the EU. We would have so much more to gain if we did, we’ve had so much money pumped into the country. This city alone has earned a lot of money from the EU. It would benefit Liverpool.”
Lewis Earle, 19, Liverpool
“Stay in the EU, definitely. I prefer not to pay import tax on goods from abroad. It would be in the UK’s benefit to choose to stay within it.”
Matthew Lyons, 68, Liverpool
“We should stay in the EU. It would be harder trading wise if we were to leave, I think it would be a big mistake if we did. The unity at this moment in time is strong, but it needs to get stronger. This wouldn’t happen if we were to leave.”
Tom Corlett, 25, Wirral
“Stay in, it seems to be working well at the minute, as far as I know.”
James Vamblew, 23, Leicestershire
“I don’t really know, to be honest. I’ve probably not read enough about it. I would definitely like to know more about it. Yes I will be following the campaigns as it’s obviously a massive issue.”
Tony Cleary, Liverpool
“I think we should leave. We could trade more with other countries such as New Zealand, Australia and America. We got on fine years ago. I will be following the campaigns.”
Charlie Vengrow, 19, Warrington
“I think we should stay, mostly because we need help from the rest of the EU. The unity should be stronger, so therefore the UK leaving the EU would weaken it significantly.”
Ryan Segree, 26, London
“Yes [stay], because of power in numbers mainly. There is a lot of protection against big companies and they have introduced a lot of regulation like the smoking ban and things like that, which I think is a good thing.”
Shirley O’Donnell, 65, Southport
“No [leave] because I don’t think it’s doing us any good, not a great deal of good anyway. We’re too diverse with all the nations, our cultures and our attitudes.”
Tom Hill, Dingle
“No [leave]. We are better off without them and we need to go back to our own values and way of life.”
Mo Williamson, 63, Midlands
“Yes [stay], I feel like it would be a step backwards to go it alone I think we’ve gone too far. I think there are a lot of benefits from the EU in terms of trade and travel and lots of things really.”
Pat Davey, Cumbria
“No absolutely not [to staying]. The governments pander to every country except us, particularly France. All the countries in the EU just do what they want and yet the minute we do exactly the same we get done for it. We have no pride left in our country.”
Christine Spencer, 60, Walton
“No [we should leave]. Well seeing the way things are going in the EU I don’t have much faith in them because of everything that’s going on in the world.”
Sam Alls, 21, Stafford
“Yes [stay] because the benefits we get from staying in the EU is a hell of a lot better than what we would get if we left due to the trade restrictions and free movement.”
Kyle Lee, 19, Warrington
“No [the UK should leave]. We are not allowed to do anything without their say and they are too controlling.”
Rob Mikiel, 23, Stevenage
“I think we should leave because they make most of the rules, stupid unnecessary rules.”
Michael Thomas, 51, Birkenhead
“Stay. We should work together in co-operation with each other instead of trying to gain independence because we’re such a small country.. I can’t see how it would work without us being a member of the EU.”
Sasha Smith, 18, Anglesey
“Yes. It’s easy to stay and we gain more staying in than we would leaving.”
Ben Toleman, 31, West Kirby
“Yes I think we should stay. Just working at the uni I reckon we get quite a lot of European students in and it’s quite good for our team.”
Joe Quinn, 22, Northern Ireland
“Stay – just for trade reasons.”
Cathy Kyle, 58, Liverpool
“No, [we should leave] because I think we’re being dictated too much by other countries and influencing trade.”
Ian Isaac-Smith, 48, Nottingham
“Yes. Well because it’s good for human rights, working rights and the economy. It’s just generally a good thing.”
Dean Lunt, 27, Isle of Man
“Yes [stay]. I think it’s more beneficial to everyone, especially us.”
Julie Van Vuuren, 43, Liverpool
“Yes. I think ultimately its better for trade and our relationships with other countries.”
Jack Donnelly, 27, Liverpool
“Yes [stay] because I travel a lot and I sell stuff abroad and it makes it much easier to do both.”
Stephan Baker, 54, Liverpool
“I think we should stay. I think that economically we are stronger as part of the EU. If we left I think that we would have to try harder to keep it where it is. I think we’re a pretty strong part of it. My biggest issue is that there is too much money to unravel all of the tie-ins, that actually we’re wasting more money by coming out.”
Maureen McMahon, 69, Liverpool
“Leave. I don’t see why we should be governed by what the Europeans say, and I don’t think we should be told what to do, who to keep in our country, and who to kick out of our country.”
Amber Coleman, 23, Cheshire
“Stay, I think that it would be problematic for trade if we leave. I think it would be really hard for us to get trade deals and also just in terms of benefits and travel.”
Colin Coole, 40, Isle of Man
“Stay because it’s better for the economy. It would be harder to do business with Europe and the rest of the world if we left.”
Charlotte Coole, 40, Isle of Man
“I think we should stay. In terms of business it would make it a lot more difficult if we were to leave the EU.”
Susan Taylor, 67, Liverpool
“Yes we should stay, I think we are too deeply into it now. We don’t want to be on our own do we?”
Ryan Sloan, 34, Walton
“I think we should stay, because of all the rights and protection that we get. I think the financial situation will be worse if we left.”
Conor Shiner, 19, Birmingham
“We should stay for trading purposes. If we left we would lose trading with other countries, meaning the economic situation would get worse which would lead to more homeless people, more jobs being lost, more companies going into recession. Also we would have to borrow more money which would mean a bigger deficit.”
Lesly Butler, 54, Wallasey
“Stay, because we get along with the majority of other countries actually. I think it may be harder to trade because we do rely on other countries.”
Sam Yielder, 18, Newcastle
“Stay in. I’m not a big politics guy, but we would be screwed without them. Business, culture, even sports is a good reason to stay in.”
Chloe Hughes, 24, Liverpool
“I don’t know. Would it make much difference if we’re in or out really? I suppose we buy and sell with the rest of Europe so it’s useful for that.”
Nathan Kelly, 19, Dorset
“Yes I think we should stick with it, just because of the community it creates, and also for business.”
Julia Richmond, 43, Liverpool
“Yes stick with it because things may get worse if we leave. At least we know what may happen if we stay in.”
Hemma Tura, 27, Liverpool
“I don’t care. Politicians don’t really do much for us anyway, and they don’t care. Would anything change for us if they did? We would still be in debt and we would still trade the same probably.”
Matt Mason, 57, Liverpool
“Yes stay in definitely. We need them with this Euro crisis stuff going on. Get Greece out, stick with Germany and the other stronger ones for the money and business.”
Stewart Humphrey, 19, Cheshire
“Leave it, it’s what my party says. Some of the stuff they say I agree with. I’m not racist, I just agree with some of the policies and they want to leave. They said we save up to 60 million or something like that, it also limits our business.”
Hannah Welsh, 26, Liverpool
“Yes, it should stay. It will be better for the country when it stays in – better economically.”
Christine Kulke, 55, Liverpool
“No, we shouldn’t be told what we can do by Europe, definitely out.”
Jane Anderson, 55, Liverpool
“No [leave]. It’s a not big deal with being within the European Union.”
Leonard Stanfield, 76, Seaforth
“Out. We should have never joined it in the first place, like Norway. It costs us a lot of money.”
Cara Perry, 22, Warrington
“I think we should probably stay, the pound seems to be doing better for it and it creates less of a rift.”
Fred Byrne, 71, Wirral
“Leave because of immigration. There’s too many people coming in. We want our country back.”
Dawn Pritchard, 43, Llandudno
“I think we should stay part of the EU. I think the English will keep the pound strong, let’s stay.”
Shirley Duncan, 57, Staffordshire
“I think probably we should stay because I think that it’s thanks to the EU that we haven’t been fighting each other since 1945.”
Derek Byrne, 69, Wirral
“Stay, because the trade is already built in. I think we should renegotiate and have rules and regulations with regards to our borders. We should stay but have a lot more to say to do with our rights.”
Janice Conning, 64, Liverpool
“Yes [stay]. I just think it’s better for everyone and it’s better for trade.”
Nick Jones, 54, North Wales
“I think we should stay. We have more to lose if we leave, like trade.”
Jo Morgan, 50, Kensington
“To be honest with you I’m divided because one person says something and I think ‘oh yeah I agree with that’ and then somebody will counteract the act the argument and I think ‘oh yeah I agree with that too.’ At the moment I’m divided.”
Adam Goodison, 19, Liverpool
“No [stay] because we’re such a small country we need as many ways of expanding as we can. Breaking friendships with countries isn’t going to help us. I think we should stay.”
Desmond Power, 86, Liverpool
“Yes [stay] – with reservations. Prior to the EU we were in constant wars, however I don’t want a single parliament so I’ve got reservations.”
Darren Lawrenson, 46, St Helens
“I don’t know. I’ve given it thought but I don’t know enough facts, one minute I think one way, and then I go ‘yeah’, but I can be swayed. Somebody tells me something and I think ‘yeah we should get out’, and then I go ‘no we should definitely stay in’, but I don’t really know.”
Alex Naylor, 24, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in because it’s better for trade. Well, I think it is anyway. We can freely trade in the EU, however it can also be a negative thing for immigration.”
Maureen Lamb, 69, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in the EU, I just think it would be better for us. It’s better for trade – importing and exporting.”
Kathryn Caton, 21, Whiston
“I think we should stay in the EU because I don’t want to have to get a visa to go on holiday. I want to keep the working hours that the EU have brought in. I reckon if David Cameron got his own way we’d all be working 24 hour days.”
Liam Fogarty, 57, Liverpool
“We should stay in the EU because it’s better for countries to work together than compete. It’s better to have friendly relations with our neighbours. There are certain problems in this world – such as the environment, mass migration – that need a pan-European solution where we have to team up with people to sort out our problems. I don’t think you can solve the world’s problems by turning your back on your neighbours. We’re a lot better off in the EU.”
Adam Zverblis, 30, Liverpool
“If I’m being completely honest I don’t know enough about it to say yes or no. I think it’d be bad for trade but then again it may strengthen the pound, I don’t know.”
Ruari Mcallister, 22, Widnes
“Stay in. The EU gives us free movement of goods, free movement of persons, it’s opened up jobs. They got Siemens renewable energy contract through the EU. I’m very pro-EU as you might be able to tell.”
Fran Randels, 50, Wirral
“I think we should stay, I think we need the back-up of the EU. When it hits the fan it’s good to have mates.”
Margaret Gill, 73, Woolton
“I’m sorry, I don’t know – I’m on the fence. It’s the trade because we dumped a lot of people when we came to the EU, so it’s whether or not we could get back into other parts to start trading again, especially with the ones we dumped.”
Kevin Procter, 63, Formby
“Not a clue. They’ve left me confused by what they’re saying and they’ve left me confused by a lot of things. I don’t think there’s enough information and what’s given out isn’t quite right.”
Edith Langan, 67, Liverpool
“I think we should leave. We should be independent. We would be better off the way we were before we joined.”
Anna Gibney, 69, Liverpool
“I definitely think we should leave. It totally destroys us when we pull other countries out of trouble when we’re on our knees ourselves.”
Lance Cahill, 52, Liverpool
“There is a yes and no argument to this, but I think we should go this alone. How many people can name the president of the EU and how many people can say that they voted for him? I think the system is too bureaucratic and they should look to adopt a presidential system like the US have. I think we hand a lot of money over and don’t get much in return.”
Steve Harris, 56, Liverpool
“I think that we should definitely leave, we put way too much in and get very little in return and it needs to stop now.”
Clodagh McCausland, 18, Belfast
“Stay in, I don’t see any real reason to leave, there’s nothing really wrong at the moment and as long as there isn’t a major crisis over here, then we should keep going as we are.”
Danni Wiles, 19, North Wales
“Yes, stay in. I know that we’re a stronger country than most in the EU, however if we needed help then they would be the first people that we would go to. We have to think of others.”
Harry Parr, 18, Warrington
“The trading benefits that we receive from being in the EU are far better than having to make our own deals with countries outside of it. I don’t want us to be excluded from the rest of Europe.”
Chris Stout, 18, Liverpool
“I would leave due to the immigration policies. As much as I welcome immigrants into our country, I don’t want to be dominated and outnumbered by them.”
Michael Carlton, 56, Heckmondwike
“We should leave, we’re being ripped off by the EU. They are too overpowering on our own domestic issues and not letting us have enough of a say in our own matters. It’s not Britain anymore.”
Ian McLaughlin, 54, Liverpool
“We won the war, not the Germans and yet they seem to be the ones that make all the decisions. They are far too overpowering for my liking and they need to give us some power back.”
Roger Haroldson, 59, Staffordshire
“Yes, I think that we should stay as we would struggle too much with trade if we weren’t EU members and I don’t want to see us even poorer than we are now because of this.”
Rihanna Brady, 21, Liverpool
“I think we should stay in. Why change what has already worked for so long? There is no evidence to suggest that there are any huge advantages for leaving.”
Grace Bevan, 19, Birmingham
“Yes we should stay because working alongside others is better than being individuals. It gives us more allies and at the moment we are able to move anywhere.”
Peter Rigby, 51, Liverpool
“Leave. I don’t like Europe much, they make rules. England started this, so why not leave.”
Chris Moss, 25, Manchester
“I reckon we should stay because it will cause more harm than good. We might get left behind a bit because of the trade we have. If we did leave, it would be typical of England.”
George Gallagher, 61, Liverpool
“Yes, I think we should leave it. There are too many people coming over here and our country is too small for that.”
Sheila Harrison, Huyton
“Oh we shouldn’t do that [leave]. When I go to Australia, I get my medical card there so I think it would be a bad move.”
Anna Imundi, 50, Liverpool
“I think we should actually stay in. I just think it is better for business and economic reasons. We are only a small island, I know we use to be empirical but were not anymore.”
Albert Yare, 80, Liverpool
“I think we should stay because the more people you get to know means there isn’t as much trouble and you understand other people more, don’t you? If you’re only on a small island, you wouldn’t understand people and it’s nice to meet new people.”
Ros Martinez, 20, Manchester
“I think we should stay. I think it’s unfair just because England have money doesn’t mean we have to go away, let’s all stay together.”
Shannon Smith, 22, Belfast
“That’s a heavy subject. Leave. Economically our country seems more secure than everyone else. Look at Australia in comparison.”
Victoria Baldwin, 33, Cheshire
“I don’t really understand it all but I think we should stay in the European Union. It will be better because we have other countries and allies to work with.”
Marcus Quinn, 23, Liverpool
“Personally I think we should stay in Europe. We’re better together. The UK is so small in the bigger picture of things and it would be better as a united Europe and it would be better for everyone, also really for economic and military reasons.”
Bea Macauley, 73, Wigan
“I don’t know. I half want to get out but I’m half frightened and worried about it. From what people say we’d lose a lot of business. All the jobs are gone, I don’t understand it too much to go into it.”
Danny Lashbrooke, 19, Wirral
“We should stay in the EU, millions of jobs depend on the EU. Our biggest trade partners are in the EU and in the long run, staying in the EU will be better economically.”
John Young, 50, Liverpool
“I’d say yes [stay] because I’ve heard on the telly it would get worse if we leave.”
Jim Richards, 75, Liverpool
“No [don’t stay], it is the most corrupt establishment I’ve ever seen, it’s not democratic, there’s no way of improving it. It doesn’t matter how many more members they get, they’re not going to improve it.”
Elaine Spencer, 59, Liverpool
“We should stay in, otherwise we’d be paying more taxes on all different things. Stay in I say.”
Janet Lincoln, 65, Liverpool
“No [the UK should leave]. In the first vote I voted to stay out. It was supposed to be just a common market in trade but I don’t like the way they have just taken over.”