Business leaders and economists in the UK and Germany say Britain's interests and benefits clearly lie within the EU.

Four out of five business leaders in the UK and Germany have clearly expressed opposition to a withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, a new study reveals. If the withdrawal were to go ahead, they predict numerous negative effects for employment, revenues and investments within their own sectors and businesses.

This overwhelmingly negative assessment has been expressed across the spectrum of industries and in both countries, and has come to light following the latest survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung.

The findings show that 79 percent of entrepreneurs, managing directors and executive employees surveyed want the United Kingdom to remain in the EU. In Germany, this percentage was 83 percent, slightly higher than the 76 percent of those surveyed in the UK.

The sectors most in favor of remaining in the EU are the manufacturing industry, IT and technology companies and retail and consumer goods industries, with over 80 percent of those UK representatives strongly expressing an opinion to stay.

This clear result surprised the lead researchers, as it had been assumed that Brexit represented a "best case scenario" for the British. Should it go ahead, the United Kingdom would leave the EU as a political entity, but remain a member of the internal market. In such a scenario, the country would enjoy a status similar to that of Switzerland or Norway.

According to those companies surveyed in the UK and Germany, they fear that this partial exit from the EU would give rise to significant adverse effects for the economy. Forty-two percent of respondents foresee negative or even very negative effects for their respective job markets; only 13 percent believe that such a move would have a positive impact on national employment rates and unemployment levels. At 44 percent, these fears are somewhat more pronounced in the UK than in Germany with a figure of 39 percent.

Business leaders are concerned about a number of negative effects for their own economic sectors, with 38 percent of respondents worrying about a negative impact on sales, 33 percent concerned about changes to investments and 34 percent citing employment issues. The results show that companies in the United Kingdom are more pessimistic about the situation than those in Germany.

Many respondents also see these issues as a real threat to their own companies. Three years after a United Kingdom exit from the EU, 36 percent expect a decline in sales, 31 percent anticipate a drop in investment and 29 percent envisage that there will be negative consequences for a number of employees in their companies.

Most evident was an expectation that there would be an impact on corporate decision making with almost a third (29 percent) of all companies surveyed in both countries wanting to either reduce capacity in the UK or relocate elsewhere, a figure that applied equally to German companies (29 percent) and British (28 percent) alike. The IT sector led the way with 41 percent of respondents expressing these policy intentions, followed by 33 percent of financial institutions, who expect a reduction or relocation of capacity away from the UK.

For Aart De Geus, chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the survey is a clear endorsement for the UK remaining in the EU: "On the eve of the negotiations, business leaders on both sides of the English Channel are telling us that we all have much to lose in the case of a Brexit. Fears for job losses and drops in prosperity are real threats. European heads of government therefore have an enormous obligation to find compromises.”

The survey also found business leaders warning against certain compromises and reveals some areas of uneasiness. As the greatest benefit of EU membership, 52 percent of the companies surveyed cited membership in the common internal market, with 22 percent stating the pan-European employment market. When asked about the most serious problems, 34 percent focused on complex EU regulations, with 22 percent fearing uncertainty about the future of the Euro.

Click here to download the study.

According to an earlier study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, a Brexit would have long-term negative consequences for the country’s growth dynamic and economic vitality. In 2030 GDP per capita in the United Kingdom could be up to 3 percent lower than if the UK would remain in the EU.

For more information on the study or to reach our experts, contact Samia Yakub, Bertelsmann Foundation Communications Director in Washington, DC, at samia.yakub@bfna.org or +1.202.384.1996.