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Scotland-England border clearly drawn on Euroscepticism map
YouGov research compares attitudes toward Europe in Britain's 188 areas · Top 10 Eurosceptic areas found in England, but some cities are more Europhile · Almost all of Scotland's areas are more Europhile than the island's median
The research, as it was released on February 28th, does not provide data on attitudes towards Europe in absolute, but in relative terms. That is, it cannot be known whether each one of Britain's 188 areas favours or rejects relations with the rest of Europe, but data show what areas are more Eurosceptic or more Europhile if compared to other areas in Britain.
While it is true that much of England's areas are more Eurosceptic than Scotland's and Wales's, it should also be noted that several English cities appear in Europhile green. This is true for much of the metro areas of London, Manchester and Liverpool and for cities such as York or Bristol. However, many rural areas are more inclined towards Euroscepticism.
In contrast, virtually all of Scotland is green-painted. According to the YouGoven research, no single Scottish region is more Eurosceptic than the British median, with Moray being the only area more or less on the median figure.
Wales portrays a more diverse picture. Europhile areas are predominant, including the South valleys, much of the centre and north, and Cardiff. But some areas are Eurosceptic leaning, such as Swansea and Glamorgan.
Out of Britain's top 10 most Europhile areas, 4 are found in Scotland and one in Wales. The other 5 are in England, all of them in London.
All top 10 most Eurosceptic areas are to be found in England.
"The euroscepticism of various areas partly correlates with lower income (we see this effect in our national polling where higher social grades are more clearly in favour of remaining in the EU), but euroscepticism also has strongholds in the more wealthy, Tory shires," said a YouGov post on the issue.