Since the Brexit referendum in 2016 the media has widely speculated the fall of the European Union.

Reports of the right-wing and presumably eurosceptic governments in Poland, Hungary and Italy further bolstered this prediction.

Reading these headlines one would think that the EU is about to fall apart and that public support for the EU is at an all time low. But is that actually true?

Let’s start with the United Kingdom; On June 23rd 2016 a referendum was held on whether or not the UK wanted to leave the European Union. 51.89% voted to leave, and 48.11% voted to remain. The biggest group of Brexiteers were the elderly, while around 75% of 18 to 24 year olds voted to remain.

Interesting too was every Scottisch council district voting to remain in the EU with a total majority of 62%. The Brexit referendum came 2 years after the Scottish Independence referendum that voted with 55% to remain in the UK.

According to a Panelbase survey of just over a thousand voters, 59% of them believe Scottish independence would be better than a no-deal Brexit. This seems realistic, after all, 62% of all Scots voted to remain in the EU in the first place. Stealing from the Brexiteer playbook, why shouldn’t Scotland ‘take back control’ and not be ruled by London? Meanwhile Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected a second referendum, saying that they can have one after Brexit is finalized.

Two years after the Brexit referendum, negotiations are still ongoing and opinions even more divided. Multiple polls have found that support for a second referendum is now a small majority, and a small majority too would vote remain this time. More voters would like to stay in the EU than accept May’s new deal, while also more of those would prefer staying in the EU than a no-deal Brexit. As the promised beneficial brexit makes way for reality, opinion is switching.

Then in Europe; Many claim that Brexit is the deathblow to the European Union, and that the UK would be the first domino to fall after which most other countries would leave too. Articles about the right-wing PiS in Poland, Orban in Hungary and Salvini in Italy destroying the union were everywhere. To most media it seemed inevitable and obvious that the union would dissolve, but then something none of them predicted happened.

In the UK, support for the EU went up. In The Netherlands and Germany, EU support went up and eurosceptic support went down.

In Sweden, support for the EU was the highest in decades.

Sweden support for the EU (green) and against EU (red) [source]

In Denmark 76%, the highest number ever recorded in the country, said that the EU was a good thing.

Critics might say that only the richer north likes the EU, while the poor south is ready to leave. But in fact, every single country in the EU except for Croatia supports the EU more after Brexit, than before.