44.7% of the population of Moldova would vote for joining the European Union, while 43% for joining the Customs Union if a referendum on the issue was held next Sunday. 9.7% of those questioned are undecided, while the others would not take part in the referendum or didn’t give an answer, shows the Public Opinion Barometer (POB) commissioned by the Public Policy Institute to the Center for Sociological Surveys and Marketing CBS-AXA, IPN reports.

If a referendum on joining the European Union was held next Sunday, 47.7% would vote in favor, while 34% against. The undecided respondents made up 10.6%, while the others didn’t answer. 33% of the respondents associate the EU with freedom of movement for work purposes, 28.2% with the possibility of travelling, 17.2% with the opportunity of studying, while 21.6% indicated other things.

The poll reveals that 46.5% of the Moldovans are optimistic about the liberalization of the visa regime. 47.1% consider that Moldova may obtain more advantages after joining the EU, while 38% have an opposite opinion. 14.9% know nothing about the advantages or disadvantages.

If the people were asked to vote in a referendum on joining the Russia –Belarus –Kazakhstan Customs Union, 46.2% would vote for, 28.9% would vote against, while 24.9% are not decided or didn’t answer. 38.6% of those polled associate the Customs Union with cheaper gas and oil, 36.5% with the freedom to work in the union, while 24.9% indicated other advantages.

52% of the respondents believe that Moldova may enjoy advantages if it joined the Customs Union, while 34% said the opposite. 14% didn’t answer.

The survey was conducted between November 6 and November 15. It covered a sample of 1,144 people from 85 settlements. The margin of sampling error is 3%.