Some 42 percent of Danes would like to hold a referendum on whether Denmark should continue to be a member of the European Union or not, reveals a new poll conducted by Epinion for DR.

The figure has increased by 5 percent since February when 37 percent of Danes favoured a national vote on the EU.

Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the leader of Dansk Folkeparti, believes the forthcoming referendum in the UK on June 23 has encouraged the Danes to believe the same could be done in Denmark too.

READ MORE: British expats in favour of staying in the EU

Majority says yes to EU
According to the survey, the number of Danes who would prefer to remain in the EU has declined from 56 percent in November to 44 percent today, while the proportion of those who would vote ‘no’ has increased from 31 to 42 percent.

Although a majority would still prefer to remain in the EU, Peter Hummelgaard, the spokesperson of Socialdemokraterne, finds the results “worrying”.

“It would be an extremely bad idea if Denmark left the EU,” he said.

“Opting out of the EU is not in Denmark’s best interests. Our main export markets are in the EU, our economy is dependent on it and if we are to tackle all the challenges – whether it’s the refugee crisis, climate crisis, inequality crisis or tax havens – we have to do it together.”