"At the moment at least there are rather more people who are inclined to get out of the EU or are critical of the European Union," the British Polling Council's president John Curtice said about the results of the poll.
According to the poll that surveyed 2,000 people, 42 percent of Britons prefer to leave the European Union, while only 31 percent want to stay in the union. Some 26 percent of respondents said they have not made up their mind on the issue yet.
Curtice also noted that in case of a referendum, its result looks "very much up for grabs," as one in every four persons are still indecisive about how they would vote.
In January 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron promised to hold a referendum on the country's membership of the European Union in 2017 if the ruling Conservative Party wins an outright majority at the next general election scheduled for May 2015.
In late November, Cameron pointed out that the United Kingdom should remain part of the European Union, but stressed that London would push for major reforms in the 28-member bloc, including the introduction of immigration quotas to nationals from other EU member states.
