According to a new poll conducted by YouGov, 37% of Britons believe that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece, and only 23% think that they should remain in the British Museum.

32% of the respondents don’t mind either way, and another 7% don’t know how they feel about it.

The opinion poll took place on October 16-17 on a sample of 1,966 Britons, soon after the famous barrister Amal Clooney’s visit to Greece to discuss the case with the Greek government.

Regarding the respondents who support the reunification of the marbles, 36% say that one of the most compelling arguments is that the sculptures “belong to a single work of art, and should be reunited with the rest of the marbles in Greece”. Another 34% are affected by the argument that the sculptures are an important part of Greek cultural heritage.

On the other hand, from those who believe that the sculptures should remain in the British Museum 23% say that Lord Elgin took the sculptures legally with the permission of the Ottoman Empire, while 9% believe that Britain should be able to keep the Parthenon Marbles, even if they were stolen, simply because they were taken 200 years ago.