The Europeans in 2009 - ec.europa.eu · Publication: July 2009 Special Eurobarometer 308 / Wave 71.1 – ... the EU: in January-February 2009, the Economic Sentiment Indicator has

Special Eurobarometer

The Europeans in 2009

Fieldwork : January 2009 – February 2009

Publication: July 2009

Spe

cial

Eur

obar

omet

er 3

08 /

Wav

e 71

.1 –

TN

S O

pini

on &

Soc

ial

This survey was requested and coordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication (“Research and Political Analysis” Unit) This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.

European Commission

SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER 308 THE EUROPEANS IN 2009

1

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................3

PART I:.............................................................................................................7

LIFE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION ........................................................................7

I. LIFE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION ..............................................................8

1. PERSONAL ASPECTS ........................................................................9

1.1 The current personal situation of Europeans ...................................9

1.2 Assessment of the personal financial situation ..............................18

1.3 Expectations for the short-term future ..........................................34

1.4 Personal concerns of Europeans....................................................37

2. ECONOMIC ASPECTS......................................................................42

2.1 Assessment of the current situation ..............................................42

2.2 Expectations for the short-term future ..........................................51

2.3 Most important national concerns .................................................58

2.4 Direction in which things are going ...............................................66

2.5 Priority actions to help overcome the economic crisis....................72

2.6 The role of the EU in the global economic crisis .............................75

PART II: .........................................................................................................83

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS CITIZENS .....................................................83

II. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS CITIZENS ...........................................84

1. ATTACHMENT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION.......................................85

1.1 Support for membership of the European Union ............................85

1.2 The perceived benefits of membership ..........................................89

1.3 Trust in the European Union ..........................................................94

1.4 The image of the European Union..................................................98

2. THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS ...................................................102

2.1 The European Parliament ............................................................102

2.2 The European Commission ..........................................................107

2.3 The European Central Bank .........................................................111


2

3. THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND TOMORROW.........................115

3.1 The perception of the European Union’s role at national level......115

3.2 Important aspects for strengthening the EU in the future............122

3.3 The life of future generations ......................................................126

4. INFORMATION AND MEDIA .........................................................129

4.1 Trust in information media ..........................................................129

4.2 Preferred information media for political matters........................133

CONCLUSION................................................................................................138

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................141


3

INTRODUCTION

This wave of the Eurobarometer was carried out from 16 January to 22 February

20091; it was fielded in 31 countries or territories: the 27 European Union Member

States, the three candidate countries (Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia and Turkey) and the Turkish Cypriot Community in the part of the

country that is not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus.

Starting in spring 2008, the Eurobarometer has registered significant shifts in

European public opinion, with the economic crisis being the main driver of

Europeans’ perceptions and opinions. It is therefore essential to examine these

results not only over a longer interval but also in the context of the specific

circumstances in which the most recent surveys have taken place.

Following a strong growth momentum in 2006-2007, the economic horizon began

to darken in spring 2008 when the first signs of the financial crisis appeared in the

United States. If in autumn 2008 the labour market was still relatively strong, the

prognosis for the coming years was already bleak2. Three months later, however,

the EU unemployment rate has already surpassed the prognosed level for 2010: in

January 2009, 8.2% of Europeans were unemployed, while it was expected to rise

to 8.1% by 20103. In its updated World Economic Outlook, the International

Monetary Fund announced at the end of January 2009 that the world economy

faces a deep downturn, with growth projected to fall to 0.5%, its lowest rate since

World War II4. These developments have strongly impacted consumer confidence in

the EU: in January-February 2009, the Economic Sentiment Indicator has reached

its lowest level ever since measurement began in 19855.

In terms of European public opinion, the Eurobarometer has captured the transition

from the economic ‘feel-good’ situation6 prior to the economic crisis to an economic

‘feel-bad’ situation that initially may have seemed a bit premature but which by

autumn 2008 permeated all aspects of life.

1 Wave 71.1. For precise details of the fieldwork dates in each country, please refer to the technical specifications. 2 See more: Autumn Economic Forecast 2008-20010 by the European Commission at http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication13290_en.pdf 3 EUROSTAT Euro-indicators January 2009: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/euroindicators 4 IMF World Economic Outlook Update published 29 January 2009: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/update/01/index.htm 5 DG ECFIN Business and Consumer Survey Results January 2009: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/indicator 6 Economic feel good factor refers to how good consumers feel about the economy which in turn affects their consumption habits. In this report, economic feel good/bad factor has an extended meaning and it refers to its extended impact over opinions on other than economic issues.


4

The newest results show that the ‘feel-bad factor’ is so intense that one of the most

resilient indicators of the Eurobarometer - life satisfaction - is beginning to show

cracks. Furthermore, the survey indicates that the economic crisis may be widening

the geographical gap in living standards between the Northern and Western

European countries and those in the South and East of Europe survey. Already

vulnerable groups - in particular the unemployed - are most strongly hit by the

crisis. In summary, the economic crisis has an extreme impact on life in the

European Union.

The negative economic climate not only profoundly changes the economic reality of

Europeans, we see the emergence of a new pattern in European public opinion

towards the EU and public life in general: Europeans are looking at government, be

it national or EU-wide, for support and solutions in these difficult times.

*****

This report is divided into two main parts. In the first part we present the context

into which public opinion about the European Union should be interpreted. It

examines life in the European Union as perceived by its citizens both in terms of

personal aspects and economic aspects; it looks at expectations for the future and

the main concerns of Europeans. This part of the report furthermore presents an

analysis of the perception of Europeans with regards to the economic situation,

employment and other aspects of social reality which influence quality of life.

Finally, this part of the report analyses what role citizens believe the European

Union can play in improving the economic situation and preventing a crisis of this

scope from happening again.

The second part of the report presents the trend indicators that measure

perceptions and opinions about the European Union and its institutions. It also

analyses the perceived role played by the European Union in a range of policy

matters and examines which aspects should be emphasised more to strengthen the

EU in the future. Finally, this part of the report briefly examines trust in the

information media and people’s political preferences.

The general analysis and the socio-demographic analysis are based on the EU27

results, that is to say the average of the results for the 27 Member States. This

average is weighted to reflect the actual population of each of the Member States.

In this report, we analyse the results and changes at two levels: the average for

the 27 Member States (EU27) and the national average. The averages for preceding

years represent the results obtained for all the Member States of the European

Union as it was composed at the time that the surveys were conducted. We also

add a brief commentary on the way in which the answers vary in accordance with

respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender etc.) and a number of

other indicators, such as the image that citizens have of the European Union, the

trust they may have in the Union, their knowledge of the Union or their political

leanings.


5

This present report was commissioned by the Directorate-General for

Communication and carried out by TNS Opinion & Social. The methodology used is

that of the Special Eurobarometer surveys of the Directorate-General for

Communication (“Research and Political Analysis” Unit). A technical note concerning

the interviews, carried out by the institutes within the TNS opinion & Social

network, is annexed to this report. This note specifies the interview method used,

as well as the confidence intervals.

*****

The Eurobarometer web site can be consulted at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all the respondents

across the continent who have given their time to take part in this survey.

Without their active participation, this study would not have been possible.


6

In this report, the countries are represented by their official abbreviations. The

abbreviations used in this report correspond to:

*Cyprus as a whole is one of the 27 European Union Member States. However, the “acquis communautaire” is suspended in the part of the country that is not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus. For practical reasons, only the interviews conducted in the part of the country controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus are recorded in the category “CY” and included in the EU27 average. The interviews conducted in the part of the country not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus are recorded in the category “CY(tcc)” [tcc: Turkish Cypriot Community]. ** Provisional code which does not prejudge in any way the definitive nomenclature for this country, which will be agreed following the conclusion of negotiations currently taking place at the United Nations.

ABBREVIATIONS EU27 European Union – 27 Member States DK/NA Don’t know / No answer BE Belgium BG Bulgaria CZ Czech Republic DK Denmark D-E East Germany DE Germany D-W West Germany EE Estonia EL Greece ES Spain FR France IE Ireland IT Italy CY Republic of Cyprus*

CY (tcc) Area not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus

LT Lithuania LV Latvia LU Luxembourg HU Hungary MT Malta NL The Netherlands AT Austria PL Poland PT Portugal RO Romania SI Slovenia SK Slovakia FI Finland SE Sweden UK The United Kingdom HR Croatia TR Turkey MK** The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia


7

PART I:

LIFE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION


8

I. LIFE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

This section covers the views and perceptions of citizens in the European Union in

regard to their personal lives, their concerns and their outlook for the future.

Further, perceptions and views on priorities and the role of the EU in the global

economic crisis are reported upon.

1) Personal aspects: Assessing the personal situation of Europeans, their financial

situation, their outlook on the short-term future and indentifying personal concerns.

2) Economic aspects: Ascertaining citizens’ economic situation, their expectations

for the short-term future and their perceived national concerns, as well as

measuring perceptions of the priorities and the role of the EU in the global

economic crisis.


9

1. PERSONAL ASPECTS 1.1 The current personal situation of Europeans

1.1.1 Overall satisfaction with life

- Three out of four Europeans are satisfied with the life they lead -

In autumn 2008 we saw that the economic ‘feel-bad’ factor extended for the first

time to the personal realm. We now see that the economic crisis also appears to be

impacting people’s life satisfaction7. This measure is one of the most stable

Eurobarometer indicators, showing very little fluctuation over time. However, since

the onset of the crisis, the indicator has become more variable. Even if the large

majority of citizens in the European Union are satisfied with the life they lead

(75%; -1), close to a quarter now do not feel satisfied (24%), which is the highest

‘negative’ result since Spring 1995. Another ‘first’ is that since the start of the new

millennium, there are now more Europeans who report feeling not very satisfied

(19%; +1) than there are Europeans who report feeling very satisfied (17%; -1).

QA2 On the whole, are you ... with the life you lead? - % EU

21% 22% 21% 21%19% 18%

60% 60% 59% 59% 58% 58% 58%

15% 14% 15% 16% 17% 18%

4% 4% 5% 5%3% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 5% 5%

19%19%21%21%21%21%17%20%19%

21%23%

21%19%20%21%

17%

60%62%

59% 59%60%60%62%62%62%62%62%

58%61%

59% 58%

18%14%17%17%

14%15%17%

15%14%13%14%13%15% 15% 16%

19%

5%

Sp

. 1

99

5

Au

t. 1

99

5

Sp

. 1

99

7

Sp

. 1

99

8

Au

t. 1

99

9

Sp

. 2

00

0

Au

t. 2

00

0

Sp

. 2

00

1

Au

t. 2

00

1

Sp

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00

2

Au

t. 2

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2

Au

t. 2

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3

Au

t. 2

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4

Sp

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5

Au

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Sp

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6

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8

Jan

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b.

20

09

EB43 EB44 EB47 EB49 EB52 EB53 EB54 EB55 EB56 EB57 EB58 EB60 EB62 EB63 EB64 EB65 EB66 EB67 EB68 EB69 EB70EB71.1

Fairly satisfied

Very satisfied

Not very satisfied

Not at all satisfied

The European Union has a geographical divide in living conditions that separate

countries in Nordic and Western Europe from those in Southern and Eastern Europe

with large variations in reported life satisfaction levels noted between countries. A

near totality of citizens in Denmark (98%), Finland (97%), Sweden and the

Netherlands (96% each) feel satisfied. Conversely over half of the citizens in

Bulgaria (57%), Hungary (55%), Portugal (53%) and Lithuania (52%) do not feel

satisfied with the life they lead.

7 QA2 On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?


10

In the three candidate countries, the majority of citizens report feeling satisfied

with the life they lead: nearly three out of four citizens in Croatia report this (74%),

as do just over six out of ten citizens in Macedonia and Turkey (61% each).

As noted earlier, this normally stable indicator has recently shown more fluctuation

and at the country level a number of notable shifts have been recorded since

autumn 2008. For the shift analysis we look at index scores, which represent the

difference between the percentage “satisfied” (total of “very” + “fairly” satisfied)

and the percentage “not satisfied” (“not very” + “not at all”). The index scores

moved in a positive direction in Romania (+8), Luxembourg, the UK (+6 each),

Denmark, Finland and Austria (+4 each), meaning that in these countries the

tendency is for people to be more often satisfied with the life they lead than was

the case in autumn 2008. A very negative development is noted in Latvia and

Lithuania were the index fell by over 20 points in six months. Less striking but still

significant falls are also recorded in Poland (-7) and in Spain (-10).


11

QA2 Life Satisfaction Index CHANGE IN INDEX JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008

(EB70)

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

2009 AUTUMN 2008 DIFF.

EU27 +51 +53 -2

RO +4 -4 +8

LU +86 +80 +6

UK +80 +74 +6

DK +96 +92 +4

FI +94 +90 +4

AT +63 +59 +4

…

…

…

…

PL +46 +53 -7

ES +58 +68 -10

LT -4 +17 -21

LV +2 +24 -22

Factors such as size of locality or political affiliation do not produce significant

divisions in life satisfaction whereas large differences exist for the various socio-

demographic factors. Thus, the youngest Europeans far more frequently report

feeling satisfied with the life they lead than is the case for older Europeans (84% of

15 to 24 year olds compared to 73% of those aged 40 and over).

Education is equally important: 84% of Europeans that stayed in full-time education

until the age of 20 or beyond report feeling satisfied compared to only 67% of

those who left school before age 16.


12

Socio-economic position is not surprisingly the most important determinant of life

satisfaction: managers most often report feeling satisfied (89%) whereas

unemployed people least often feel satisfied with the life they lead (54%).


13

1.1.2 Living conditions

- A majority of Europeans consider their living conditions satisfactory -

The survey also includes 6 items which capture the living conditions of Europeans8.

The majority of Europeans give a satisfactory rating to their house or flat (88%, -4

percentage points compared to November-December 20069), the quality of life in

their local area (83%, -3 points), their state of health (81%, -3 points), their

standard of living (75%, -8 points) and the medical services in their local area

(72%, -5 points). The proportion of Europeans that reports feeling satisfied with the

job opportunities in their local area, however, is much lower (31%, -7 points).

The influence of the crisis can be felt here as well: the proportion of satisfied is

decreasing for all items. The drop is particularly striking regarding job opportunities

in the local area (- 7 points in the proportion of satisfied, and +11 points in the

proportion of dissatisfied). The economic crisis seems to affect the mood of

Europeans and this is reflected in their perception of several aspects of their daily

life.

QA20 For each, could you tell me if this aspect of your life is very satisfactory, fairly satisfactory, not very satisfactory

or not at all satisfactory? - % EU

36%

29%

32%

19%

24%

52%

54%

49%

56%

48%

26% 35%

6%

5%

20%

14%

9%

20%

15%

24%

4%

4%

10%

Your house or flat

The quality of life in the area where youlive

Your state of health

Your standard of living

The medical services in your local area

The job opportunities in your local area

Very satisfactory Fairly satisfactory Not very satisfactory

Not at all satisfactory DK

Analyses of the country results for these items further highlight the extent of the

geographical divide that runs through the European Union.

8 QA20.1 I am now going to read out different aspects of everyday life. For each, could you tell me if this aspect of your life is very satisfactory, fairly satisfactory, not very satisfactory or not at all satisfactory? 1. Your house or flat. 2. The quality of life in the area where you live. 3. Your standard of living. 4. Your state of health. 5. The medical services in your local area. 6. The job opportunities in your local area. 9 Special Eurobarometer 273: European Social reality

- %EU27


14

A focus on quality of life ratings shows that in all Northern and Western European

nations at least 9 out of 10 citizens rate this satisfactory. Conversely, in Bulgaria,

satisfactory ratings are given by only just over a third of citizens (36%, vs. 63%

not satisfactory).

In the three candidate countries, satisfaction ratings stand below the EU average10.

10 Croatia: 76%; Turkey: 66% and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: 63%.


15

85% or over are satisfied with their living standards in Central and Northern Europe

(Ireland, Benelux countries, Finland, UK and Scandinavian countries) compared to

just over a quarter of citizens in Bulgaria (28%).

The satisfaction rating in the three candidate countries is highest in Croatia (67%).

Only around half the citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (53%)

and Turkey (50%) are satisfied with their standard of living.


16

The survey reveals a great variation in satisfaction with job opportunities in the

local area at the country level. Satisfaction ratings are highest in Luxembourg

(66%) and the Netherlands (62%) and lowest in Latvia (10%) and Lithuania

(11%).

Satisfaction levels in Turkey (28%) are close to the European average while they

are significantly lower in Croatia (20%) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (19%).


17

The changes since November-December 200611, when the life satisfaction battery

was also put to respondents, do not produce a consistent picture. The following

table shows the shifts for each country in the proportion of citizens who gave a

satisfactory rating for their quality of life, their standard of living and job

opportunities:

LIFE SATISFACTION RATINGS

CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2006 (EB66.3)

IN % SATISFACTORY

Quality of life

Standard of living

Job opportunities

EU27 -3 EU27 -8 EU27 -7

SE +4 SE +2 LU +16

DE +3 FI +2 NL +9

FR +3 NL 0 SE +8

NL +2 EE 0 DK +7

FI +2 RO 0 DE +4

UK +2 DK -1 CY +4

EE +2 DE -1 BE +2

CY +1 FR -1 FI +1

DK +1 UK -2 MT 0

ES 0 BE -3 PL 0

RO 0 BG -3 CZ -1

BE -1 LU -4 BG -2

AT -1 MT -4 RO -3

LT -1 LT -4 UK -5

IE -2 CY -5 FR -6

MT -2 IE -5 PT -6

SI -2 AT -5 EL -7

LU -3 SK -5 AT -8

CZ -4 CZ -7 EE -9

LV -4 PL -8 SK -9

HU -6 SI -8 HU -10

BG -6 LV -10 SI -11

PL -7 HU -11 IT -17

SK -7 ES -13 LT -19

PT -8 EL -16 ES -22

EL -9 PT -16 LV -24

IT -12 IT -22 IE -31

* In November-December 2006, Romania and Bulgaria were not Member States. This should be taken into account when analysing the index for the EU (EU27-EU25) and the indexes of these two countries.

♦ The perceived quality of life and standard of living ratings have not

improved according to Europeans although in a few countries minor

increases in the proportion of citizens who are satisfied have been

recorded. Conversely, there are several countries where far fewer

people now give a satisfactory rating, led by Italy, Greece and

Portugal.

11 Special Eurobarometer 273: European Social Reality: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_273_en.pdf


18

♦ An extremely diverse picture is noted for the evolution of satisfaction

with job opportunities: in Luxembourg positive ratings went up by 16

points whereas these dropped by 31 points in Ireland.

1.2 Assessment of the personal financial situation

1.2.1 The financial and professional situation

- The majority of Europeans give a positive rating to their personal

economic situation -

Many Europeans remain positive about their personal economic situation12. More

than six out of ten citizens are positive about the financial situation of their

household (63%; -1) and over half find their current job situation good (54%; -2).

QA3.4-5 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following?

56%

54%

64%

63%

27%

28%

34%

35%

17%

18%

2%

2%

EB70 Aut. 2008

EB71.1 Jan-Feb. 2009

EB70 Aut. 2008

EB71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

Good Bad DK

Your personal job situation

The financial situation of your household

12 QA3 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following: the financial situation of your household; your personal job situation?

- %EU27


19

The table below presents by country the highest and lowest proportions of

respondents assessing the current situation positively in January-February 2009:

ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION: % GOOD


Your personal job

situation

EU27 63% EU27 54%

FI 89% DK 77%

SE 88% FI 76%

NL 88% SE 73%

DK 87% NL 68%

LU 87% BE 67%

BE 78% LU 65%

UK 77% AT 64% SI 63%

…

…

IT 51%

LT 51%

…

…

EL 48% EL 40%

LV 48% LT 39%

RO 44% BG 38%

PT 37% PT 38%

BG 34% RO 35%

HU 30% HU 23%

♦ The assessment of the household financial situation is the most

positive in the three Nordic countries, the Benelux and the UK. The ranking

of the countries reinforces the existence of a geographical division in living

conditions that separates the Northern and Western EU Member States

from the Southern and Eastern countries in the EU: the countries where

opinions are least positive in this regard are either Southern European or

Eastern European nations.

♦ The same geographical division is evident in how people assess their

personal job situation. Here again, citizens from Southern and Eastern

Europe are the least positive.

♦ Hungary stands out as being particularly negative about both issues.


20

An examination of the shifts at national level in the ‘% good’ responses in three

months (from October-November to January-February) shows a lot of volatility –

both positive and negative – considering the short time-span. It points to the

insecurity of Europeans – a cocktail of hope and fear - about the effect and extent

of the economic crisis.

ASSESSMENT OF THE PERSONAL SITUATION CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) –

AUTUMN 2008 (EB70) IN % GOOD


Your personal job

situation

EU27 -1 EU27 -2

LU +8 FI +4

CY +8 EL +3

PT +7 PT +2

SI +6

UK +5

HU +5

…

…

…

…

NL -4 IE -6

CZ -4 EE -6

EE -4 MT -7

PL -4 CZ -8

LT -5 LT -8

SK -5 SK -8

LV -10 LV -11

♦ A sense of optimism is voiced by citizens in Luxembourg, Cyprus, Portugal,

Slovenia, the UK and Hungary when it comes to the financial situation

of their household. Conversely, particularly in Latvia, but also in

Slovakia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and the

Netherlands, citizens are now less positive about their household financial

situation.

♦ When it comes to the personal job situation, the development over the

past six months is generally negative. A strong drop in confidence is noted

in Latvia (-11). Significant falls are also noted in Slovakia, Lithuania, the

Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia and Ireland. Conversely, in few countries

only, the development since autumn 2008 is positive: Finland (+4),

Greece (+3), Portugal (+2) and the UK (+1).

♦ On these two personal issues, the situation in the candidate countries is

lower than the European average, but slight increases can be noted. ‘Good’

assessments of the household financial situation rose by 5 percentage

points in Croatia (from 48% to 53%), and those for the personal job

situation by 4 points in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.


21

1.2.2 Focus on purchasing power in the European Union

- Europeans appear somewhat less pessimistic about their purchasing

power and their ability to make ends meet -

As in the previous two Eurobarometer waves, in order to obtain addition insight into

the effects of the economic crisis we asked respondents two specific questions

about their purchasing power. The first question, which asks respondents to

compare their current purchasing power with the situation five years earlier, shows

that close to half of EU citizens consider that their purchasing power has

deteriorated over the past five years (48%)13. A third of citizens (33%)

consider that this has stayed about the same and fewer than two out of ten

respondents (17%) believe that it has improved. In comparison to the responses

given in 2008, Europeans appear now slightly less pessimistic: the feeling that

purchasing power has declined is now less widespread (-3) and instead respondents

more often said that their purchasing power had stayed the same (+4). This

improved result should be nuanced, though: as we shall see later on in this report,

Europeans’ concerns are today mainly focused on the economic situation in general,

and on unemployment. Therefore, their concern about inflation and prices is less

marked than in the previous waves. This is especially the case when considering

the main issues faced by the country, where the drop is particularly pronounced

(27%, -10 points), with this concern now significantly overtaken by the economic

situation (47%, +10 points) and unemployment (45%, +19 points). But it is also

true at the personal level, where inflation is decreasing (45%, -5 points),

although it continued to be by far the main issue Europeans faced personally, way

ahead of the economic situation (27%, +4 points), and unemployment (19%, +5

points), because all are affected in their daily lives. This is something that can be

observed on several occasions in this survey.

13 QA12 Thinking about your purchasing power, that is to say the things that your household can afford in your daily life, if you compare your present situation with five years ago, would you say it has improved, stayed about the same, or got worse?


22

Yet the national results show that the apparently less pessimistic mood is restricted

to a small number of countries. As was already the case in autumn 2008, Sweden is

the only country where an absolute majority of respondents declare that their

purchasing power has improved over the last five years (53%; +1). Denmark

(42%), Finland (37%; +7) and Estonia (37%; -7) are the only other three

countries where a relative majority of citizens perceive an improvement over the

last five years.

The mood in most Member States is thus predominantly negative. In fact, in 13

countries an outright majority of citizens perceive a deterioration in their

purchasing power and in a further 5 countries a relative majority feels this way. The

most dramatic result is noted in Cyprus where seven out of ten citizens feel that

their purchasing power has deteriorated over the last 5 years, although in autumn

2008 this proportion was even higher (78%). At least six out ten citizens in Greece

(69%; +5), Hungary (67%; +4), Malta (63%; +7), Portugal (62%; -2), France and

Belgium (both 60%; -5) equally feel that their purchasing power has deteriorated

over the last 5 years.

The answers recorded in the candidate countries are close to the European average.

The majority of respondents in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (40%;

-2), Turkey (48%; +3) and Croatia (52%; +1) considered that their purchasing

power had declined over the last five years.


23

An examination of the shifts in positive assessment levels since autumn 2008 at the

national level reveals that concerns about purchasing power increased most in

some of the Eastern European Member States, with the most negative development

noted in Lithuania (-13), Poland (-12) and Latvia (-11). Once again, the results in

Lithuania and in Latvia are quite striking: the situation seems to have deteriorated

a lot in a few months.

PURCHASING POWER CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008 (EB70) IN %

IMPROVED

AUTUMN 2008 JANUARY-FEBRUARY

2009 DIFF.

EU27 18% 17% -1

FI 30% 37% +7

SI 18% 21% +3

BE 10% 13% +3

…

…

…

…

RO 26% 21% -5

EE 44% 37% -7

LV 28% 17% -11

PL 40% 28% -12

LT 32% 19% -13

Next, citizens were asked about their ability to make ends meet each month14: 44%

of respondents said that they have difficulties paying all their bills at the end of the

month, while 53% of them said that was not the case. The situation is very similar

to that obtained in autumn 2008 although a slight improvement can be observed (-

2 points) in the number of citizens who agree with the statement. In parallel, this is

mirrored by an increase in citizens who disagree (+2). Again, we can hypothesise

that the improvement since the previous wave is probably due to a switch of

concern – from inflation to unemployment and the economic situation – rather than

to a real improvement of the situation of Europeans in this respect.

14 QA13 Please tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statement: You have difficulties paying all your bills at the end of the month.


24

QA13 Please tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statement: You have difficulties paying all your bills at the end of

the month. - % EU

14%

15%

16%

30%

31%

31% 28%

29%

29%

24%

22%

22%

3%

3%

3%

EB 71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

EB 70 Aut. 2008

EB 69 Sp. 2008

Totally agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Totally disagree DK

Again the distribution of responses by country shows the large geographical divide

that exists in the European Union in terms of living standards.

the month - %EU27


25

In thirteen countries – which all lie in Eastern or Southern Europe – the majority of

citizens experience difficulties in paying all the bills at the end of the month;

Bulgaria (75%), Portugal (73%), Greece and Hungary (64% each) being the

countries where the largest proportions of respondents indicate having difficulties.

Conversely, less than a third of citizens in Sweden (13%), Denmark (15%), Finland

(18%), the Netherlands (20%) and Luxembourg (21%) experience difficulties.

Hence the economic crisis only seems to reinforce the marked geographical divide

in living standards: in the Northern countries, it appears to have relatively little

impact on people’s ability to pay their bills whereas EU citizens in Southern and

Eastern Europe more often report economic hardship. This also applies to citizens in

the three candidate countries and especially in Turkey and the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia where eight out of ten respondents (80% each) state that

they have difficulties paying all the bills at the end of the month. In Croatia, this

proportion is substantially lower (48%), but still slightly above the EU average.

In fact, an analysis of the evolution since autumn 2008 reveals that the proportion

of citizens who have difficulties increased further in four Eastern European

countries, namely Latvia (+6), Slovakia (+4), Hungary and Estonia (+3 points

each). Malta and Cyprus are something of an exception as in these two countries

the proportion of citizens experiencing difficulties has fallen sharply since autumn

2008 (by 10 and 9 points, respectively).

ABILITY TO PAY BILLS AT THE END OF THE MONTH CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008 (EB70) IN %

DIFFICULT

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

2009 AUTUMN 2008 DIFF.

EU27 44% 46% -2

LU 21% 31% -10

MT 55% 65% -10

CY 58% 67% -9

FI 18% 26% -8

UK 36% 43% -7

…

…

…

…

EE 35% 32% +3

HU 64% 61% +3

SK 49% 45% +4

LV 58% 52% +6


26

1.2.3 The perceived risk of poverty

- One European in four feels at risk of falling into poverty -

One European in four feels that there is a risk that he or she could personally fall

into poverty (25%)15. The same proportion was recorded in November-December

200616.

The concern expressed by this vulnerable group of Europeans is even more

pronounced than it was in November-December 2006 (+3 points) and highlights

why unemployment is such a serious concern among Europeans, particularly in the

present economic climate.

15 QA21.2 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? I feel that there is a risk that I could fall into poverty. 16 Special Eurobarometer 273, European Social Reality


27

Not having a job appears to be the most important ‘risk’ factor, with close to half of

unemployed Europeans feeling that there is a risk that they could fall into poverty

(47%). In fact, 16% of unemployed people perceive their risk to be very high (i.e.

they “strongly” agree with the statement).

The level of worry is slightly higher among respondents aged 40-54 years old,

possibly because they think that it will be more difficult for them to find a job

should they become unemployed. This age category seems more vulnerable

economically.

Total "Agree"Total

"Disagree"DK

EU27 25% 52% 2%Age15-24 21% 55% 3%25-39 26% 49% 2%40-54 29% 48% 2%55 + 23% 56% 2%Education (End of)15- 28% 48% 3%16-19 28% 47% 3%20+ 19% 61% 2%Still studying 16% 62% 4%Respondent occupation scaleSelf- employed 20% 53% 3%Managers 16% 66% 1%Other white collars 21% 53% 3%Manual workers 28% 47% 2%House persons 26% 49% 3%Unemployed 47% 28% 2%Retired 24% 55% 3%Students 16% 62% 4%

QA21.2 I feel that there is a risk that I could fall into poverty

If we look at the countries in which significant proportions of citizens feel at risk, we

see that in the EU Latvia stands out: over six in ten citizens (62%) feel at risk, 18%

agreeing ‘strongly’. This figure is even higher in one of the candidate countries:

close to a quarter of citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia strongly

agree with the statement (24%).

It is interesting to note that the geographical divide noted thus far is less obvious

when it comes to the perceived risk of poverty. Rather, perceived risk levels seem

to be influenced by different interpretations of what poverty entails and different

national welfare regimes so that the national analyses reveal a more heterogeneous

mapping than what we have seen so far. Apart from the high level noted for Latvia,

a majority of citizens in Hungary (45%) and Lithuania (43%) feel at risk of falling

into poverty. Generally, people in these countries are very critical of their

personal situation. Conversely, the perception of being at risk of poverty is all but

absent in Finland and Malta (8% each) and is also very low in the Netherlands

(11%), Sweden (12%), the Czech Republic (13%) and Luxembourg (14%).


28

Large differences are noted between the three candidate countries: over half of

citizens feel at risk of falling into poverty in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (52%), whereas in Turkey this is the case for just over a third of citizens

(34%) and in Croatia this applies to just over a quarter of citizens (26%).


29

An analysis of the evolution since November-December 2006 shows that the

proportion that feels at risk is now lower in a number of countries whilst

significantly higher in others. The best improvements have been recorded in Italy

(-10) and Austria (-9). This positive development in Italy is somewhat surprising as

during the same period - November-December 2006 / January-February 2009 -,

the proportions of Italians satisfied with their quality of life, their standard of living

and the job opportunities in their area have significantly decreased. This is

especially due to the very poor results for this question recorded in November-

December 2006, where Italians’ results were quite striking (36%, compared to 25%

of the EU average, the highest score in EU15). Conversely, the extent of the

current negative mood in Latvia and Lithuania becomes further evident from the

sharp increases in the proportion of citizens who feel at risk of falling into poverty

(+17 and +13, respectively). The mood is also decisively more negative in Cyprus

and Greece (both +12) in this regard.

PERCEIVED POVERTY RISK CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

2006 (EB66.3) IN % AGREE

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

2009

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

2006 DIFF.

EU 25% 25% 0

IT 26% 36% -10

AT 16% 25% -9

BG 27% 33% -6

ES 17% 21% -4

…

…

…

…

IE 20% 16% +4

PT 24% 19% +5

FR 34% 28% +6

LU 14% 7% +7

EL 34% 22% +12

CY 23% 11% +12

LT 43% 30% +13

LV 62% 45% +17


30

1.2.4 The perceived likelihood of becoming homeless

- Risk of homelessness is estimated to be very low -

Only a very small minority of European Union citizens – 1 out of 10 - feel that there

is a chance that they could become homeless at some stage of their lives17.

However, a snapshot comparison with how people felt before the economic

downturn shows a small increase in the proportion of citizens who feel at risk (+3).

While even in more difficult economic times homelessness is still not a serious

concern in the European Union, some Europeans feel much more vulnerable than

others.

From a socio-demographic point of view, few differences can be observed:

nevertheless, we can mention that respondents aged 25 to 39 (12%) and 40 to 54

(11%) are slightly more worried than the younger interviewees (9%), who are

maybe more heedless of the influence of the crisis on their lives, or than older

respondents, aged 55 years and over (7%), who probably no longer fear

unemployment as many of them are already retired. Incidentally, 60% of these

older respondents answer that it is not at all likely that they will become homeless

compared to 47% of the youngest group, 46% of 25-39s and 45% of 40-54s. Over

a fifth of unemployed people feel at risk (22%). This is far above the European

average. Furthermore, since Spring 200718 this proportion has increased

significantly (from 14%; +8). The difficulties of the unemployed, particularly in

times of economic hardship, are highlighted by these results.

17 QA22 How likely is it that you could ever become homeless, yourself? 18 Special Eurobarometer 279: Poverty and exclusion http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_279.pdf


31

Total "Likely"

Total "Not likely"

DK

EU27 10% 85% 5%Age15-24 9% 84% 7%25-39 12% 83% 5%40-54 11% 83% 6%55 + 7% 89% 4%Education (End of)15- 10% 85% 5%16-19 11% 84% 5%20+ 7% 89% 4%Still studying 6% 87% 7%Respondent occupation scaleSelf- employed 8% 87% 5%Managers 6% 90% 4%Other white collars 9% 86% 5%Manual workers 12% 82% 6%House persons 10% 85% 5%Unemployed 22% 72% 6%Retired 7% 89% 4%Students 6% 87% 7%

QA22 How likely is it that you could ever become homeless, yourself?

While here again the geographical divide is less evident, Lithuania (22%) and Latvia

(20%) once more stand out among the European Union Member States. The risk of

homelessness is much more plausible here than in other countries, with Italy and

Poland next in order (14% each). At the other extreme the national analyses show

that the likelihood of becoming homeless is regarded as more or less implausible in

Sweden and the Netherlands (1% each).


32

Among the candidate countries, homelessness is a very serious concern in Turkey,

with nearly four out of ten Turkish respondents indicating that it is likely that they

could become homeless (38%). This puts Turkey in sharp contrast with the two

other candidate countries: 17% of respondents in the Former Republic of

Macedonia and 10% of respondents in Croatia estimate this risk to be likely. It is

interesting to note that whereas the risk of falling into poverty is shared by more

than half of respondents in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (52%) and

by just over a third in Turkey (34%), the fear of becoming homeless is much more

widespread in the latter country (38%) than in the former (17%). The correlation

between these two questions is not obvious, and national specificities play probably

a role here.

An analysis of the evolution since Spring 2007 shows that over this two year period

the proportion feeling at risk has only fallen significantly in Malta (-4) while it has

increased significantly in eleven Member States. The largest increases are noted in

Lithuania (+7) and Romania (+6).


33

PERCEIVED LIKELIHOOD OF BECOMING HOMELESS

CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – SPRING 2007 (EB67.1) IN % LIKELY

SPRING 2007 JANUARY-FEBRUARY

2009 DIFF.

EU27 7% 10% +3

MT 8% 4% -4

EE 11% 9% -2

…

…

…

…

BE 5% 9% +4

EL 5% 9% +4

PT 5% 9% +4

LV 16% 20% +4

PL 10% 14% +4

CY 4% 9% +5

ES 5% 10% +5

AT 3% 8% +5

LU 2% 7% +5

RO 7% 13% +6

LT 15% 22% +7


34

1.3 Expectations for the short-term future

Europeans are regularly asked to state their short-term expectations for their lives

in general, the financial situation of their household and their personal job

situation19.

- ‘Feel-bad’ factor will not go away in 2009 -

As in autumn 2008 the economic ‘feel-bad’ factor extends to the personal realm

with negative developments noted for the three personal measures.

Although three quarters of Europeans are currently satisfied with the life they lead,

just over one-fifth are optimistic about the future: only 22% expect an

improvement of their life in general over the next twelve months while nearly as

many expect the situation to get worse (21%). In general, even more than in

autumn 2008, Europeans tend to believe that their situation will remain the same

rather than improve. However, those expecting their financial situation to worsen

(26%) outnumber those with a positive outlook, a shift that was noted for the first

time in Spring 2008. In January-February 2009, we also note for the first time that

the proportion of Europeans who now expect their personal job situation to

worsen is as high as the proportion believing that it will improve (15% each).

QA4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to...?

- %EU

22%

24%

32%

16%

18%

22%

15%

18%

20%

54%

51%

49%

55%

50%

58%

58%

61%

16%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

12%

12%

9%

52%

12%

25%

10%

15%

27%

26%

22%

21%EB 71.1/Jan-Feb 2009

EB 70/Autumn2008

EB 69/ Spring 2008

EB 71.1/Jan-Feb 2009

EB 70/Autumn 2008

EB 69/ Spring 2008

EB 71.1/Jan-Feb 2009

EB 70/Autumn 2008

EB 69/ Spring 2008

Better Same Worse DK

Your life in general



19 QA4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to...? 1. Your life in general. 3. The financial situation of your household. 5. Your personal job situation.

- %EU27


35

When we examine the situation in January-February 2009 in terms of the index20

we find further evidence of the geographical gap in living standards in the European

Union. The table below presents the results by country, showing the highest and

lowest index scores for the three personal measures in January-February 2009:

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS: INDEX BETTER-WORSE


Your life in general The financial situation

of your household

EU27 0 EU27 +1 EU27 -10

SE +16 SE +36 SE +17

DK +15 DK +20 DK +13

FR +13 FI +19 LU +8

FI +8 FR +13 FI +6

UK +8 UK +13 NL +2

NL +7 ES +12 FR 0

BE +6 NL +9 UK 0

LU +6 LU +6 ES -1

…

…

CY -19

…

…

…

…

MT -22

RO -9 RO -10 BG -23

EL -10 EL -11 LV -23

LV -11 BG -13 EL -26

IE -13 SK -17 IE -27

PT -15 LV -18 CZ -29

CZ -15 PT -23 SK -30

SK -15 CZ -27 PT -34

HU -33 LT -27 LT -34

LT -40 HU -35 HU -46

♦ The top half of the table is dominated by Northern and Western

European countries, where the index score is generally positive. Overall

respondents in Sweden and Denmark have the most positive opinions.

♦ The bottom of the table is dominated by Southern and Eastern

European countries. Very high negative expectations are voiced by

people in Hungary and Lithuania for all three aspects.

♦ When it comes to the three candidate countries, expectations about

developments in the personal sphere are positive in the Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia21 but negative in Turkey and Croatia22.

20 The index is calculated by deducting those who expect ‘worse’ from those who expect ‘better’. The higher the index is the more positive is the overall situation in a country. 21 Index scores MK: Life in general +13; financial situation of household +6; personal job situation +2. 22 Index scores TR: Life in general -4; financial situation of household -14; personal job situation -12; Index scores HR: Life in general -9; financial situation of household -16; personal job situation -5.


36

The analysis of shifts in national index scores reveals a sense of optimism in a

number of countries, even if there are more countries where expectations are now

less positive than they were in autumn 2008. What this analysis highlights is that

the geographical gap in (perceived and expected) living standards is widening even

more. The table below presents the shifts in the index scores from autumn 2008 to

January-February 2009 by country:

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS: CHANGE IN INDEX JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008

(EB70)

Your life in general

The financial situation of your

household


EU27 -1 EU27 -1 EU27 -6

UK +10 UK +13 LU +3

FI +5 LU +12 BE +2

FR +5 NL +5 FI +1

LU +5 BE +4 PT +1

BE +4 DE +3 FR 0

DE +4 FI +3 DK -2

ES +4 FR +3 ES -2

AT +4 CY +3 SE -2

SE +4 SI +3 UK -2

…

…

DK -7

BG -7

…

…

PL -7

…

…

EL -9

IE -9 EL -6 IT -9

IT -12 PL -8 BG -9

LT -14 IT -11 PL -11

SK -16 CZ -14 CZ -16

EL -17 LT -14 RO -16

RO -18 SK -17 SK -16

CZ -20 RO -18 LV -18

LV -21 LV -21 LT -19

♦ A sense of improved optimism is visible in the UK where a large

upward development has been recorded for ‘life in general’ and for the

‘household financial situation’. The mood for all three personal

measures is now also more optimistic in Luxembourg.

♦ Pessimism has become much more widespread in Latvia, Lithuania,

Romania, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.

♦ Turkey is the only candidate country where the developments are not

negative for each dimension.23

23 Turkey index changes: Life in general +2; personal job situation +2; financial situation of household 0.


37

1.4 Personal concerns of Europeans

As in autumn 2008, respondents were asked what were the two most important

issues that they personally faced at the moment24.

With the economic crisis deepening, Europeans seem more and more directly

affected. This is evident from the new rank-order of perceived personal concerns:

the level of concern about the economic situation (27%; +4) and unemployment

(19%; +3) has risen while worries about inflation drop strikingly, although it still

tops this list (45%; -5).

QA5b And personally, what are the two most important issues you are facing at the moment?

4%

4%

5%

8%

9%

8%

9%

12%

15%

16%

14%

23%

50%

4%

5%

6%

6%

8%

9%

11%

15%

17%

19%

27%

45%

2%

1%

2%

2%

1%

2%

3%

DK

Other(SPONTANEOUS)

Defence/ Foreignaffairs

Terrorism

Immigration

Protecting theenvironment

Housing

Energy related issues

Crime

The educationalsystem

Taxation

Pensions

Healthcare system

Unemployment

Economic situation

Rising prices/ inflation

EB71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

EB70 Aut. 2008

24 QA5b And, personally, what are the two most important issues you are facing at the moment?

- %EU27


38

Inflation is now the primary personal concern in 20 of the 27 Member States,

whereas in autumn 2008 the Netherlands and Sweden were the only exceptions.

Among the candidate countries, inflation is still the primary concern in Croatia but

is no longer so in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In Finland, inflation

now shares first place with concerns about the healthcare system (30% each).

Among the Member States, the economic situation is now the primary concern in

Estonia (47%), Ireland (38%), the Netherlands (30%), the UK (29%) and Denmark

(25%). Among the candidate countries, it is the primary concern in Turkey (47%).

It is the second most frequently mentioned issue in 17 Member States as well as in

Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Concerns about unemployment now top the list in the Former Yugoslav Republic

of Macedonia (46%) and come in second place in Turkey (46%) and Poland (21%).

Although in autumn 2008 the Netherlands was the only country in which a non-

economic issue topped the list, Sweden and Finland are now the only countries

where such an issue – in this case the healthcare system – ranks highest in the

minds of citizens (31% and 30%, respectively). However, as noted above, in

Finland concerns about inflation are equally widespread.

Outside these issues, the following three concerns rank second at the national

level:

♦ The healthcare system in the Netherlands (27%), Germany (26%)

and Denmark (23%).

♦ Energy-related issues in Malta (30%).

♦ Finally, concerns about pensions represent the second most

mentioned personal issue in Slovenia (23%).

SP

EC

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UR

OB

AR

OM

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30

8

T

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EU

RO

PEA

NS

IN

200

9

3

9


Economic situation

Unemployment

Healthcare system

Pensions

Taxation

The educational

system

Crime

Housing


Protecting the environment

Immigration

Terrorism

Defence/ Foreign affairs

EU

27

45

%27%

19%

17%

15%

11%

9%

8%

6%

6%

5%

3%

2%

1%

BE

47

%26%

13%

8%

12%

13%

5%

12%

6%

11%

10%

5%

2%

1%

BG

54

%24%

22%

19%

21%

7%

7%

12%

2%

8%

2%

0%

1%

0%

CZ

42

%25%

11%

21%

12%

8%

7%

4%

9%

13%

3%

2%

1%

- D

K18%

25

%17%

23%

11%

8%

10%

7%

9%

6%

10%

6%

4%

2%

DE

49

%20%

15%

26%

14%

13%

12%

3%

2%

12%

4%

1%

1%

1%

EE

28%

47

%26%

16%

15%

17%

9%

7%

5%

4%

1%

0%

0%

1%

EL

49

%41%

22%

13%

15%

8%

13%

14%

1%

1%

7%

3%

2%

1%

ES

45

%42%

27%

5%

10%

8%

5%

6%

9%

0%

2%

3%

5%

1%

F R5

6%

20%

19%

16%

19%

9%

11%

7%

8%

4%

8%

1%

1%

1%

IE34%

38

%31%

27%

9%

9%

12%

15%

6%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

IT5

1%

33%

21%

6%

8%

21%

5%

11%

3%

1%

2%

7%

3%

2%

CY

57

%36%

13%

9%

9%

4%

11%

11%

8%

2%

7%

4%

1%

2%

LV5

3%

36%

29%

21%

10%

11%

9%

5%

8%

1%

0%

1%

0%

0%

LT6

2%

23%

20%

15%

12%

28%

6%

5%

5%

5%

0%

1%

0%

0%

LU3

2%

21%

16%

14%

11%

8%

19%

17%

12%

9%

11%

5%

2%

1%

HU

61

%29%

24%

12%

19%

9%

7%

6%

6%

11%

2%

1%

1%

1%

MT

60

%19%

12%

9%

7%

6%

7%

3%

2%

30%

7%

14%

0%

0%

NL

24%

30

%10%

27%

17%

10%

21%

9%

10%

7%

8%

2%

1%

1%

AT

61

%27%

16%

14%

16%

9%

8%

5%

4%

7%

7%

5%

1%

1%

PL

45

%16%

21%

26%

18%

5%

6%

4%

6%

1%

2%

1%

1%

0%

PT

57

%26%

24%

15%

19%

11%

5%

7%

3%

0%

2%

0%

1%

1%

RO

52

%28%

13%

24%

19%

9%

9%

7%

8%

2%

5%

1%

2%

1%

SI

43

%20%

17%

15%

23%

9%

11%

3%

9%

4%

6%

0%

0%

1%

SK

45

%34%

19%

21%

12%

4%

9%

6%

10%

9%

7%

0%

1%

0%

FI3

0%

20%

20%

30

%18%

12%

7%

5%

7%

14%

12%

3%

1%

1%

SE

10%

30%

20%

31

%17%

6%

18%

9%

10%

13%

24%

3%

1%

3%

UK

26%

29

%17%

14%

18%

9%

9%

14%

9%

12%

5%

7%

2%

1%

HR

59

%30%

23%

20%

20%

3%

5%

7%

8%

3%

1%

0%

1%

1%

TR

30%

47

%46%

7%

7%

4%

8%

4%

1%

2%

2%

1%

16%

1%

MK

37%

41%

46

%8%

5%

7%

4%

12%

2%

5%

4%

2%

2%

1%

QA

5b

An

d p

ers

on

ally,

wh

at

are

th

e t

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most

im

port

an

t is

sues

you

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ng

at

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om

en

t? (

MA

X.

2 A

NS

WE

RS

)

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40

Some of these personal concerns differ significantly depending on the socio-

demographic profile of the respondents. While there are few variations in the

worries about crime, some important differences can be noted, in accordance with

gender, age, education or occupation.

Inflation for example…

♦ Is more a concern for women (47%) than for men (43%)

♦ Seems less important to younger respondents (37% compared to 45%

at EU level), probably because some of them are not yet in charge of

purchases in their household.

♦ Is logically more of a concern for the categories that have a lower

standard of living: those who left school before 16 (49%), who are

manual workers (53%) and who have difficulties paying their bills at

the end of the month (49%).

The pattern is different for the economic situation:

♦ Men (30%, vs. 27% for the EU on average) are more concerned than

women (25%);

♦ Not only the young (23%), but also the elderly (21%) are less

concerned than the intermediate age groups.

♦ Seems more worrying for the self-employed (39%) than for manual

workers (30%) and managers (31%).

The concern about unemployment is similar for men and women, and regardless of

the level of education, but creates important differences depending on the age of

the respondent, and moreover, on the occupation:

♦ Respondents that are active, or will become active in the coming years

– 15-24, 26%; 25-39, 23% and 40-54, 22% – are much more worried

about their jobs than the elderly (10%), where most of interviewees

are already retired.

♦ The unemployed are obviously extremely worried (72%), while the

self-employed and managers (12%) do not worry about their personal

situation in this respect;

Finally, we can observe that worry about the healthcare system increases with the

age of the respondent, while, the younger respondents are, the more they are

worried about the education system, students being by far the most concerned.

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42

2. ECONOMIC ASPECTS

2.1 Assessment of the current situation

On a regular basis, Europeans are asked to assess the current situation of the

economy in their country and in the European Union and to judge the employment

situation in their country. Since autumn 2008, they have also been asked to assess

the economic situation in the world25.

2.1.1 The situation of the national, European and world economies

- Confidence in the economic situation diminishes even further -

QA3.1-3 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following? - % EU

19%

29%

22%

33%

14%

20%

79%

69%

70%

58%

79%

71%

9%

8%

7%

9%

2%

2%

The situation of the(NATIONALITY) economy

EB71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

EB70 Aut. 2008

The situation of the Europeaneconomy

EB71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

EB70 Aut. 2008

The situation of the economy inthe world

EB71.1 Jan-Feb 2009

EB70 Aut. 2008

Good Bad DK

The intensity of the current economic crisis is strikingly evident from the negative

evaluation given by Europeans of the current economic situation. A further drop in

confidence has been recorded following the already distinctly negative assessment

given in autumn 2008. The latest results reveal that close to eight out of ten

Europeans at present rate their national economy and the world economy as bad

(79% each). It should be noted that the situation of the European economy is

evaluated slightly more positively (22% rate it as good) than the national economy

(19%) or the world economy (14%).

This negative public opinion is matched by the lowest ever consumer confidence

level since the European Commission began measuring this economic indicator in

198526 and is all-encompassing: it is voiced by all segments of the European

population, young and old, well-educated or not, in work, retired or unemployed

although slight differences between the various socio-demographic groups do exist.

25 QA3 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following? 1. The situation of the (NATIONALITY) economy. 2. The situation of the European economy. 3. The situation of the world economy. 26 DG ECFIN: Key Indicators for the EURO AREA at http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication12486_en.pdf

%EU27


43

It goes without saying that the effect of the current crisis is less felt by Europeans

who enjoy a high standard of living (i.e. well-educated people and managers) than

it is by the more vulnerable segments of society such as the unemployed and the

less highly-skilled.

Good Bad DK Good Bad DK Good Bad DK

EU27 19% 79% 2% 22% 70% 8% 14% 79% 7%SexMale 22% 77% 1% 24% 70% 6% 15% 80% 5%Female 17% 81% 2% 20% 70% 10% 13% 78% 9%Age15-24 23% 74% 3% 30% 59% 11% 20% 71% 9%25-39 20% 79% 1% 25% 69% 6% 15% 80% 5%40-54 19% 80% 1% 21% 74% 5% 13% 82% 5%55 + 18% 80% 2% 18% 72% 10% 11% 80% 9%End of education15- 13% 85% 2% 13% 76% 11% 9% 81% 10%16-19 18% 81% 1% 22% 71% 7% 14% 79% 7%20+ 25% 74% 1% 27% 68% 5% 15% 81% 4%Still studying 26% 70% 4% 34% 55% 11% 21% 70% 9%Respondent occupation scaleSelf- employed 19% 80% 1% 19% 76% 5% 12% 83% 5%Managers 24% 75% 1% 26% 71% 3% 15% 82% 3%Other white collars 21% 78% 1% 23% 72% 5% 14% 82% 4%Manual workers 20% 79% 1% 24% 69% 7% 17% 77% 6%House persons 15% 84% 1% 15% 74% 11% 10% 80% 10%Unemployed 13% 86% 1% 17% 74% 9% 13% 80% 7%Retired 18% 80% 2% 19% 70% 11% 11% 79% 10%Students 26% 70% 4% 34% 55% 11% 21% 70% 9%Trust in EUTend to trust 26% 73% 1% 32% 63% 5% 20% 75% 5%Tend not to trust 13% 86% 1% 13% 80% 7% 8% 86% 6%Image of EUPositive 25% 73% 2% 31% 64% 5% 19% 75% 6%Neutral 18% 81% 1% 20% 71% 9% 11% 81% 8%Negative 12% 87% 1% 11% 82% 7% 5% 89% 6%

The situation of the (NATIONALITY) economy

The situation of the economy in the world

The situation of the European economy

QA3a.1 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following?

Interestingly, while the diagnosis is similarly gloomy for men and women regarding

the situation of the European and world economies, women evaluate their national

economy even worse than men (17% of ‘good’ vs. 22%).

Otherwise, we can observe that for all three levels, the situation is seen in a slightly

more positive way by respondents who have studied longer. This applies

particularly when evaluating the situation of the European economy: 25% of those

who left school after 19 say that the situation is good, compared with only 13% of

those who left school the earlier.

Occupation creates small differences: the unemployed stand out from the rest,

however, in that they are always more pessimistic.

We can observe that the results are to some extent influenced by attitudes towards

European Union: those who are confident, or who have a positive image of the EU,

have a more positive view of the situation of the economy, regardless of the level

(national, European or global).


44

However, despite these differences, it should be remembered that the gloomy

perception of the economy is shared by the large majority of Europeans,

irrespective of their socio-demographic characteristics.

The assessment of the economic situation continues to produce a scattered picture:

there are countries where public assessments are far less negative than others and,

furthermore, the rank-order varies depending on which economic level is being

measured. We therefore next analyse the national results for each level separately.

The analysis of the situation of the national economy shows that while a positive

assessment is given by the majority of citizens in Luxembourg (64%), Denmark

(60%), Finland and Cyprus (57% each), optimism is virtually absent in Latvia

(2%), Ireland, Hungary (4% each), Portugal (6%), Lithuania, Bulgaria (8% each)

and Greece (9%). In chapter 1 we saw that in these latter countries the mood

concerning personal aspects is generally also very bleak.

In the three candidate countries the mood is particularly pessimistic in Croatia

where only one citizen in ten gives a positive assessment (10%). A slightly less

downbeat - though far from positive - sentiment is noted in the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia (27%) and Turkey (21%).


45

An examination of how public opinion has evolved since autumn 2008 reveals that

Luxembourg and Cyprus are the only countries where an improvement has been

recorded (+4 each). The situation in France neither improved nor deteriorated and

the negative shifts recorded in Hungary, Greece (both -1) and Portugal (-2) are too

small to be considered significant. Conversely, the most negative development is

noted in Austria (-22), followed by Finland (-21), the Czech Republic, Germany and

the Netherlands (-20 each).

Views about the European economy tend to be somewhat better in the candidate

countries and the newer Member States than is the case in the EU15. The highest

positive assessments were recorded in a candidate country (Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia: 49%), followed by Finland, Slovakia and Bulgaria (42%

each). Citizens in Ireland and Portugal, on the other hand, express hardly any

confidence in the European economy with only 7% giving a positive assessment.

Assessments have become more negative since autumn 2008 in all countries but

Cyprus (+2 points), Luxembourg (-1), the UK and Italy (-2 each) where the

evaluation of the European economy did not change significantly. The sharpest

decline in public confidence levels is found in the Czech Republic (-28), followed by

Lithuania (-23), Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia (-20 each).


46

The national analysis of the assessment of the world economy shows that citizens

in Eastern European countries are most positive about the global economic

situation: the most widespread positive assessment is given by the majority of

citizens in Poland (29%), followed by citizens in Bulgaria (28%), Slovenia (27%),

Romania (26%) and Lithuania (25%). Conversely, people in Malta (4%), Ireland

(5%) and Portugal (6%) are the least optimistic.

As was noted for the European economy, among the candidate countries the mood

is far more optimistic in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (37%) than in

Turkey (19%) and Croatia (22%).

An examination of the evolutions since autumn 2008 for this measure also points to

a positive development in Cyprus (+5 points) whereas the mood tends to now be

more pessimistic in the other Member States. The most dramatic developments are

noted in the Czech Republic (-19) and Slovakia (-17).


47

EB71.1 Jan.-Feb.

2009

Change Jan.-Feb.

2009 - Aut. 2008

EB71.1 Jan.-Feb.

2009

Change Jan.-Feb.

2009 - Aut. 2008

EB71.1 Jan.-Feb.

2009

Change Jan.-Feb.

2009 - Aut. 2008

EU27 19% -10 22% -11 14% -6

BE 17% -11 20% -11 11% -8BG 8% -6 42% -12 28% -6CZ 19% -2 23% -28 13% -19DK 60% -1 41% -13 19% -5DE 29% -2 27% -20 16% -12EE 20% -8 27% -18 22% -10EL 9% -1 15% -9 7% -4ES 11% -8 11% -11 9% -3FR 12% 0 16% -4 7% -2IE 4% -10 7% -11 5% -6IT 12% -3 13% -2 10% -2CY 57% -3 37% -2 16% -5LV 2% -5 23% -17 20% -9LT 8% -7 29% -23 25% -13LU 64% -4 34% -9 9% -11HU 4% -1 14% -18 4% -8MT 21% -18 11% -18 15% -6NL 47% -20 37% -20 16% -11AT 38% -22 26% -13 29% -12PL 26% -13 40% -16 6% -1PT 6% -2 7% -4 7% -4RO 13% -9 34% -18 26% -8SI 39% -13 41% -14 27% -8SK 43% -11 42% -14 18% -17FI 57% -21 23% -12 18% -4SE 36% -18 36% -18 9% -3UK 15% -3 15% -3 11% -3

HR 10% -1 17% -2 22% 0TR 21% 0 29% -3 19% 0MK 27% -3 25% -5 37% -9

The situation of the (NATIONALITY)

economy

The situation of the European economy

QA3 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following? % Good

The situation of the economy in the world

2.1.2 The employment situation

- Perception of the current employment situation is even more pessimistic -

As already noted for the economy, views about the current national employment

situation are overwhelmingly negative27: over eight out of ten European Union

citizens declare that the situation in their country is bad (82%, +13 points

compared to the figure recorded in Autumn 2008). It seems than the economic

crisis had begun to affect the real economy in January-February when the fieldwork

was done, and this is reflected by the increase in concern regarding the

employment situation.

27 QA3 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following? 6. The employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY).


48

The plight of unemployed Europeans is best highlighted by how they assess the

current employment situation in their country: 53% judge it to be very bad. By

comparison, the proportion of those who perceive the situation most negatively

(answer “very bad”) is much lower among students (19%) and managers (20%).

However, it is important to stress that the current national employment situation is

negatively assessed by the majority of Europeans, irrespective of their socio-

demographic characteristics.

Very good

Rather good

Rather bad

Very bad DK Good Bad

EU27 1% 15% 50% 32% 2% 16% 82%Age15-24 1% 17% 51% 27% 4% 18% 78%25-39 1% 17% 49% 32% 1% 18% 81%40-54 1% 16% 50% 32% 1% 17% 82%55 + 1% 13% 50% 33% 3% 14% 83%Education (End of)15- 0% 9% 46% 42% 3% 9% 88%16-19 1% 14% 50% 33% 2% 15% 83%20+ 1% 22% 52% 23% 2% 23% 75%Still studying 1% 21% 52% 20% 6% 22% 72%Respondent occupation scaleSelf-employed 1% 17% 51% 30% 1% 18% 81%Managers 1% 24% 54% 19% 2% 25% 73%Other white collars 1% 17% 55% 26% 1% 18% 81%Manual workers 1% 16% 50% 32% 1% 17% 82%House persons 1% 11% 46% 41% 1% 12% 87%Unemployed 1% 6% 39% 53% 1% 7% 92%Retired 1% 13% 49% 33% 4% 14% 82%Students 1% 21% 52% 20% 6% 22% 72%

QA3.6 How would you judge the current situation in each of the following? The employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY)


49

If in autumn 2008 around nine out of ten citizens in Denmark and the Netherlands

held a positive view of the employment situation in their country (91% and 88%,

respectively), this proportion is now far lower, following dramatic drops (61%; -30

points in Denmark and 56%; -32 points in the Netherlands). Yet these two

countries still rank top, illustrating the extent of pessimism that prevails in the EU.

The next highest proportions of citizens who give a positive assessment of the

employment situation in their country are found in Finland (42%; -30) and Cyprus

(42%; -10).

Pessimism abounds in Latvia (96%; +16), Hungary (95%; +2), Ireland (94%;

+14), Greece (94%; +2) and Lithuania (91%; +21). The mood in the three

candidate countries is also decisively negative, with close to nine out of ten citizens

feeling that the employment situation in their country is bad28.

28 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: 88%; Croatia and Turkey: 89% each.


50

The following table shows that in all countries the mood is now more negative than

it was in autumn 2008.

ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION CHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 – AUTUMN 2008 IN %

GOOD

The employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY)

EU27 -12

IT -1

PT -1

HU -1

ES -2

EL -3

LU -5

FR -5

CY -10

RO -10

BG -12

LV -13

IE -14

SI -14

BE -15

UK -15

DE -17

EE -17

LT -17

PL -18

SE -21

MT -21

SK -21

AT -22

CZ -26

DK -30

FI -30

NL -32

The public mood does not fully match actual developments in the unemployment

rate29. While it increased between the two latest Eurobarometer fieldwork periods

from 7.3% to 7.6%, the January 2009 unemployment rate in the European Union

remains comparatively low in the Netherlands (2.8%, no change), where the survey

points to the largest drop in public confidence (-32). Particularly sharp increases in

the official unemployment rate have been recorded since November 2008 in Latvia

(12.3; +2.9) and Lithuania (9.8%; +2.8). In January 2009, the unemployment rate

was highest in Spain (14.8%).

29 Eurostat News Release Euro Indicators 25/2009: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2009/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2009_MONTH_02/3-27022009-EN-AP.PDF.


51

What the shift analyses highlight, then, is that unemployment figures are not the

only factor on which Europeans assess the current employment situation in their

country. Rather, there are many factors which influence public opinion, which apart

from the economic factors can include personal situations, media reporting,

especially anticipating on the probable effects of the crisis, and country-specific

events.

2.2 Expectations for the short-term future

Europeans are also regularly asked to state their short-term expectations for the

economic and employment situation30.

2.2.1 The situation of the national, European and world economies

- Europeans expect that the worst is yet to come -

The expectation of Europeans is that they have not yet seen the worst of the

economic crisis: the public mood in the beginning of 2009 is even more downbeat

than it was in autumn 2008: more than half of EU citizens believe the economic

situation in their country will deteriorate in the coming twelve months (53%; -2

points) and close to half feel this way about the world economy (49%;

unchanged) and the European economy (45%;-4).

QA4.2-6-7 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be ... when it comes to...? - % EU

15%

15%

16%

0

14%

16%

18%

0

14%

15%

28%

29%

46%

0

29%

26%

0

26%

25%

53%

51%

33%

0

38%

0

49%

49%

18%

11%

11%

31% 41%

45%

5%

0

0

12%

12%

5%

4%

The economic situation in (OUR COUNTRY)


EB70.1 Aut. 2008

EB69.2 Sp. 2008

The economic situation in the European Union


EB70.1 Aut. 2008

EB69.2 Sp. 2008

The economic situation in the world


EB70.1 Aut. 2008


The breadth of the crisis becomes even more evident when we measure the

situation in spring 2009 by the index31: the pessimistic outlook prevails for all three

economic levels and the trend is even slightly more negative than it was in autumn

2008.

30 QA4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to...? 2. The economic situation in (OUR COUNTRY). 6. The economic situation in the EU. 7. The economic situation in the world. 31 The index is calculated by deducting those who expect ‘worse’ from those who expect ‘better’. The higher the index is, the more positive is the overall situation in a country.

%EU27


52

Expectations for the next 12 months: INDEX ‘BETTER – WORSE’

Better - Worse JANUARY-

FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1)

CHANGE INDEX January-February 2009 -

Autumn 2008

Economic situation in the EU -31 -6

Economic situation in the world -35 -1

Economic situation in (OUR COUNTRY) -38 -2

The table below presents the index scores in January-February 2009 by country for

each of the three economic levels:


The economic situation in the EU

The economic situation

in the world

The economic situation in (OUR

COUNTRY)

EU27 -31 EU27 -35 EU27 -38

RO -9 LV -6 SE -14

LV -10 EE -14 DK -25

PL -14 RO -15 FR -28

BG -15 BG -19 IT -33

EE -17 PL -20 ES -33

ES -20 LT -21 MT -33

LT -23 ES -22 PL -33

FR -24 FR -26 LU -34

MT -27 SE -30 AT -36

IT -29 IT -31 SI -37

SE -29 SI -35 RO -38

SI -33 DK -36 DE -39

UK -35 MT -37 UK -39

DK -37 UK -39 BE -41

DE -39 HU -40 FI -41

AT -40 DE -41 BG -42

BE -41 AT -43 EE -44

HU -43 BE -45 CY -48

FI -44 FI -48 LV -49

LU -47 PT -49 LT -56

EL -47 IE -51 NL -56

PT -48 LU -52 CZ -58

CY -48 CZ -55 SK -58

SK -48 EL -56 EL -59

CZ -50 CY -56 PT -59

IE -52 SK -57 HU -63

NL -64 NL -67 IE -66

The economic ‘feel-bad factor’ is strongly present throughout the European Union,

even if the intensity still varies. The most important thing to note is that unlike in

autumn 2008, there are no longer any Member States where positive expectations

outnumber negative expectations for any of the three levels.


53

Among the three candidate countries, expectations are particularly bleak in

Croatia32. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the only country where

positive expectations outnumber negative expectations concerning the European

economy (+4)33. In Turkey, as in the other candidate countries, people are least

hopeful that the economic recovery in their own country will occur over the coming

twelve months (-23)34.

On the bright side, the analyses of the shifts in index scores since autumn 2008

show that in some countries expectations regarding the economy have improved:

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS: CHANGE IN INDEX JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 (EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008 (EB70)

The economic situation in the world


in (OUR COUNTRY)

The economic situation in the EU

EU27 -1 EU27 -2 EU27 -6

FI +18 SE +11 FI +12

SE +9 FI +10 BE +7

BE +8 DE +9 FR +3

FR +8 BE +7 SE +3

DE +7 LU +7 LU +2

UK +6 FR +6 AT +2

ES +5 UK +5 UK +2

AT +5 DE 0

EE +5

…

…

CY -11 HU -12 NL -13

…

…

SI -13

…

…

IT -12 IT -15

RO -13% LV -12 PL -18

MT -14% BG -19 RO -19

BG -17% CZ -22 BG -21

PL -18% PL -22 MT -23

CZ -21% RO -32 CZ -28

SK -26% SK -37 SK -36

♦ In a number of Northern and Western European nations, expectations

regarding the economy are now less negative than was the case in

autumn 2008.

♦ Conversely, Slovakian respondents tend to have significantly lower

expectations this spring than in autumn. Several other Eastern

European countries are also found consistently towards the bottom of

the table. As noted earlier, the economic crisis seems to hit citizens in

Eastern Europe particularly harshly.

32 Index scores Croatia: EU = -25; World = -28; Country = -50. 33 Other index scores here are: World = -4; Country = -13. 34 Other index scores here are: EU = -7; World = -12.


54

♦ Even if the index scores are clearly in the red in the candidate country

Turkey, the situation has again improved after very negative

developments between autumn 2007 and autumn 200835. In the two

other candidate countries, and particularly in the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia, the mood is now more negative than it was in

autumn 200836.

2.2.2 The employment situation

- Europeans consider that employment will be hit hard by the crisis -

With over eight out of ten Europeans giving a negative assessment of their

country’s employment situation, it is hard to image that things could get worse.

Yet, the expectation of 61% of Europeans is that the situation will

deteriorate over the twelve coming months37. The current depth of concerns

among EU citizens becomes even more obvious when we consider that in a 12-

month period the proportion of Europeans with a negative outlook has increased by

a third from 39% in spring 2008.

QA4.4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: Will the next twelve months be …

when it comes to the employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY)? - % EU

13%

21%

26%

21%20%18%17%16%16%

30%

53%

39%40%42%

47%44%

42%

22%

6%6%7%5%6%5%6%6%7%8%8%9%9%

31%

23%12%15%

16%

34%

61%

47% 48% 38%

27% 25%

34%34%23%

29%

35%38%

36%31%30%32%32%

39%

35%29%

43%

5%

EB71.1Jan.-Feb.

2009

EB70 Aut.2008

EB69 Sp.2008

EB68 Aut.2007

EB67 Sp.2007

EB66 Aut.2006

EB65 Sp.2006

EB64 Sp.2005

EB63 Sp.2005

EB62 Aut.2004

EB61 Sp.2004

EB60 Sp.2004

EB58 Sp.2002

EB56 Sp.2001

EB54 Aut.2000

Better Worse Same DK

The majority of Europeans have negative expectations about the national

employment situation, irrespective of age, education or occupation. In this context,

it is noteworthy that unemployed people – who, as we saw earlier, most frequently

give a ‘bad’ assessment of the current employment situation, do not stand out. In

fact, managers far more often believe the situation will deteriorate than

unemployed people do (67% vs. 57%). As is often the case for questions related to

the future and expectations for the coming months, the young have a less

pessimistic attitude than the other age categories: fewer than half of respondents

aged 15 to 24 (47%) think that the employment situation will get worse in the next

twelve months, compared to 59% of the 25-39s, and around two out of three

interviewees aged 40-54 (66%) and 55+ (64%).

35 Turkey index changes since autumn 2008: World +15; Country +15; EU +10. 36 Croatia index changes since autumn 2008: World -2; Country -13; EU -6;. MK: World -11; Country -15; EU -15.


55

QA4. 4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be ... when it comes to...?



EU27 12% 23% 61% 4% Age

15-24 19% 29% 46% 6% 25-39 14% 24% 59% 3% 40-54 10% 21% 66% 3%

55 + 8% 22% 64% 6% Education (End of)

15- 8% 25% 61% 6% 16-19 11% 23% 62% 4% 20+ 13% 21% 63% 3%

Still studying 18% 28% 47% 7% Respondent occupation scale

Self-employed 11% 22% 64% 3% Managers 11% 19% 67% 3% Other white collars 13% 23% 61% 3% Manual workers 12% 24% 61% 3% House persons 10% 27% 58% 5% Unemployed 14% 25% 57% 4% Retired 8% 22% 63% 7%

Students 18% 28% 47% 7%

An analysis of the index score38 provides further insight into the intensity of the

negative expectations:

Expectations for the next 12 months: INDEX ‘BETTER – WORSE’

Better - Worse January-

February 2009 (EB71.1)

CHANGE INDEX January-February 2009 -

Autumn 2008

Employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY) -49 -9

37 QA4 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to...? 4. The employment situation in (OUR COUNTRY). 38 The index is calculated by deducting those who expect ‘worse’ from those who expect ‘better’. The higher the index is, the more positive is the overall situation in a country.


56

Throughout the European Union the index scores are negative, ranging from -30 in

Malta to -77 in Ireland.



EU27 -49

MT -30

ES -39

IT -39

PL -39

FR -40

SE -41

AT -42

RO -42

BG -43

SI -49

LU -51

UK -52

DE -55

FI -55

BE -56

EE -56

LV -57

DK -59

CY -60

EL -63

CZ -65

PT -67

SK -68

HU -68

LT -69

NL -70

IE -77

The outlook is particularly pessimistic in Ireland where over eight out of ten citizens

expect the employment situation to deteriorate over the next twelve months

(81%). In Hungary, the Netherlands (76% each) and Slovakia (75%), at least three

out of four citizens expect a worsening of the situation.

In the three candidate countries, the index score is also overwhelmingly negative39,

particularly in Croatia, where close to two-thirds of respondents expect the

employment situation to worsen over the coming twelve months (64%).

39 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: -28; Turkey: -26; Croatia: -55.


57

Further evidence of the slightly less negative outlook in a number of Northern and

Western European countries is apparent from the development of the index scores

since autumn 2008. Conversely, citizens in many Eastern European countries are

now more negative than they were in autumn 2008. In this context again, Slovakia

stands out in having the largest downward trend.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS: CHANGE IN INDEX JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009

(EB71.1) – AUTUMN 2008 (EB70)


EU27 -9

SE +14

FI +7

ES +5

FR +2

UK +2

BE +1

…

…

SI -18

MT -21

NL -23

CY -26

LT -30

PL -35

RO -35

CZ -36

BG -37

SK -56


58

2.3 Most important national concerns

- The economic situation and unemployment are now the main concerns in Europe -

The impact of the economic crisis is very apparent in the answers of Europeans to

the question of what they consider to be the two most important issues facing their

country at the moment40: in January-February 2009, the economic situation

and unemployment are most frequently mentioned.

The evolution in public opinion over the past year is very much in line with the

development of the economic crisis thus far: in spring 2008, inflation became the

top concern and was joined in autumn 2008 by worries about the economic

situation. Compared to autumn 2008, the proportion of respondents who mention

the economic situation (47%) has increased by 10 percentage points and the

proportion mentioning unemployment (45%) has increased by 19 points.

Conversely, concerns about inflation (27%) have dropped significantly since

autumn 2008 (-10), pushing this issue down to third place. Until recently, the

economic crisis effect was felt essentially by Europeans in rising prices. But since

September 200841, the crisis has been greatly amplified. It is now a global

phenomenon that affects all countries everywhere in the world. Experts are now

saying that the situation would only improve in 2010 or 2011, and Europeans are

now mainly worried about keeping their jobs, instead of inflation.

40 QA5a What do you think are the two most important issues facing (OUR COUNTRY) at the moment? (MAX. 2 ANSWERS). 41 The bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers bank happened on September 15th, 2008.


59

In 16 Member States, the economic situation is seen as the top national concern.

The Netherlands tops the list (69%), followed by Estonia (66%) and Slovenia

(58%). At the bottom of the list we find Malta (30%). In the candidate countries,

the economic situation is not the top concern, coming in second place in Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (49%) and Turkey (43%) and in third place in

Croatia (41%). However, as the figures indicate, the economic situation is no less

of a concern in these countries than it is in many of the European Union Member

States.

QA5a What do you think are the two most important issues facing (OUR COUNTRY) at the moment? (MAX. 2 ANSWERS) - %EU27

47%

45%

27%

15%

12%

8%

6%

6%

5%

4%

4%

1%

7%

1%

1%

4%

1%

5%

4%

5%

8%

1%

9%

16%

17%

37%

26%

37%

1%

10%

8%

7%

Economic situation

Unemployment


Crime

Healthcare system

Pensions

Immigration

Taxation

The educational system

Housing

Terrorism

Protecting theenvironment



Other (SPONTANEOUS)

DK

EB71.1 Jan.-Feb. 2009 EB70 Aut. 2008


60

Since autumn 2008, the proportion of Europeans who consider the economic

situation to be an “important issue” at national level has increased in all Member

States but Portugal (-2), with just a minor change recorded in France (+2). The

largest increases are recorded in three Eastern European countries, namely

Slovenia (+29), the Czech Republic (+26) and Slovakia (+24).

In all three candidate countries, the proportion of citizens worrying about the

economic situation also increased42.

42 Turkey: +11; Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: +8; Croatia: +6.


61

In 10 Member States, unemployment is now the top national concern. Citizens in

Portugal most widely consider unemployment to be the most important problem

their country currently faces (69%), followed by citizens in Spain (62%) and Latvia

(61%). These two later countries are those with the highest unemployment rates in

the EU in January 2009, with 14.9%, and 12.3% respectively. Conversely, it is

mentioned by less than a third of citizens in Malta (18%), Cyprus (20%), Bulgaria

(24%) and Romania (28%).

In the three candidate countries, unemployment is the top national concern in the

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (64%) and Turkey (62%) and the second

most widely reported concern in Croatia (44%).

In nearly all Member States the survey points to a dramatic increase in the level of

concern about unemployment. Compared to autumn 2008, shifts of 10 percentage

points or more have been recorded in all countries except Malta (+4), Greece (+6)

and Bulgaria (+7). The largest increases have been recorded in Estonia (+37),

Latvia (+35), Denmark (+34), Slovakia (+33) and Slovenia (+31).


62

In the candidate countries, shifts of 10 percentage points or more have been

recorded in Croatia and Turkey (+11 each), whereas in the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia the increase is somewhat less marked (+4).

Outside these two issues, we see several country-specific features:

♦ Inflation is the second most frequently mention concern in Austria

(42%) as well as in several Eastern and Southern European countries:

Romania (42%), Malta (40%), Italy, Portugal (38% each) and Bulgaria

(37%). Although it is not one of the two top concerns in Lithuania, the

proportion of citizens voicing concern (40%) is as high as it is in the

other countries listed in this paragraph. It should be noted that

concerns about inflation did not increase in any of the countries

surveyed.

♦ Crime is the main concern in Croatia (52%) and is the second highest

concern in Cyprus (32%).

♦ Immigration continues to be the top concern in Malta (42%),

although there are now fewer citizens than in autumn 2008 who

consider it to be one of the two most pressing issues facing their

country (-6).

SP

EC

IAL E

UR

OB

AR

OM

ETER

30

8

T

HE

EU

RO

PEA

NS

IN

200

9

6

3

Economic situation

Unemployment


Crime

Healthcare system

Pensions

Immigration

Taxation


Housing

Terrorism




EU

27

47

%45%

27%

15%

12%

8%

7%

6%

6%

5%

4%

4%

4%

1%

BE

54

%42%

26%

16%

4%

10%

9%

9%

3%

6%

2%

6%

6%

1%

BG

43

%24%

37%

32%

10%

12%

1%

3%

4%

1%

2%

2%

17%

0%

CZ

51

%46%

22%

19%

17%

8%

3%

3%

3%

4%

2%

2%

9%

1%

DK

56

%40%

6%

9%

28%

3%

10%

5%

8%

3%

7%

11%

6%

3%

DE

49

%42%

28%

11%

18%

9%

3%

7%

13%

0%

5%

3%

7%

1%

EE

66

%57%

15%

19%

8%

9%

0%

7%

3%

2%

0%

1%

4%

1%

EL

56

%41%

29%

24%

9%

7%

3%

5%

10%

0%

4%

4%

0%

1%

ES

48%

62

%24%

10%

3%

4%

7%

5%

2%

10%

11%

2%

1%

1%

FR40%

54

%33%

11%

10%

10%

3%

3%

8%

12%

2%

7%

3%

1%

IE53%

58

%16%

19%

25%

4%

3%

4%

4%

2%

1%

1%

1%

0%

IT4

3%

37%

38%

17%

4%

6%

13%

15%

2%

3%

4%

2%

2%

2%

CY

34

%20%

31%

32%

5%

6%

12%

4%

7%

10%

2%

6%

2%

3%

LV54%

61

%25%

22%

13%

5%

1%

8%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

0%

LT4

4%

43%

40%

16%

6%

7%

2%

21%

4%

2%

1%

1%

6%

0%

LU38%

47

%25%

11%

5%

6%

8%

3%

16%

18%

3%

7%

4%

1%

HU

53

%51%

35%

14%

10%

6%

1%

6%

3%

2%

0%

1%

9%

0%

MT

30%

18%

40%

8%

6%

2%

42

%6%

0%

2%

1%

6%

24%

0%

NL

69

%33%

11%

20%

17%

9%

4%

3%

7%

2%

3%

7%

5%

3%

AT

47

%41%

42%

7%

9%

7%

9%

7%

6%

2%

3%

5%

5%

1%

PL38%

45

%31%

10%

29%

11%

2%

3%

1%

4%

3%

1%

5%

2%

PT33%

69

%38%

11%

11%

10%

1%

7%

3%

1%

2%

0%

0%

0%

RO

48

%28%

42%

14%

17%

13%

2%

5%

6%

6%

2%

3%

2%

1%

SI

58

%47%

27%

7%

12%

9%

1%

6%

3%

6%

1%

4%

5%

5%

SK

53%

59

%22%

13%

12%

5%

1%

2%

3%

5%

2%

2%

14%

1%

FI36%

48

%17%

9%

33%

10%

7%

5%

3%

2%

1%

8%

12%

1%

SE

52%

53

%2%

11%

25%

4%

5%

2%

10%

2%

1%

16%

11%

3%

UK

46

%44%

9%

28%

7%

7%

21%

4%

3%

8%

6%

4%

3%

1%

HR

41%

44%

28%

52

%10%

9%

1%

2%

1%

1%

2%

1%

1%

1%

TR

43%

62

%13%

9%

2%

3%

1%

2%

4%

0%

41%

0%

1%

2%

MK

49%

64

%21%

22%

5%

2%

3%

6%

2%

2%

2%

2%

4%

2%

QA

5a W

hat

do

yo

u t

hin

k a

re t

he t

wo

mo

st im

po

rtan

t is

sues

faci

ng

(O

UR

CO

UN

TR

Y)

at

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om

en

t? (

MA

X.

2 A

NS

WER

S)

Hig

hest

perc

en

tag

e b

y c

ou

ntr

yH

ighest

perc

enta

ge

by

item

Low

est

per

centa

ge b

y c

ountr

yLo

west

perc

enta

ge

by

item


64

A comparison of national and personal concerns - analysed previously in part I 1.4 -

confirms the predominance of economic factors and the increasing concern about

unemployment in the respondents’ answers. The issue of inflation is perceived

much more at the personal level (45%) than at the national level (27%). The

situation is reversed in almost the same proportions for the economic situation,

perceived logically much more as a national issue (47%) than as a personal one

(27%). The gap is even greater regarding unemployment: 19% of Europeans judge

that it is one of the main issues they personally face, while 45% consider that it is

an important issue for the country. Unemployment is seen as an important personal

issue for the unemployed (72%), and, to a lesser extent, for younger respondents

aged 15-24 who might soon be in the situation of looking for a job (26%); but for

many respondents, this problem does not affect their lives directly, although they

express great concern about unemployment at the national level.

And personally, what are the two most important issues you are facing at the moment?

(MAX. 2 ANSWERS)

27%

19%

45%

8%

17%

15%

3%

11%

9%

6%

6%

5%

2%

1%

2%

4%

Economic situation

Unemployment


Crime

Healthcare system

Pensions

Immigration

Taxation


Housing



Terrorism


Other (SPONTANEOUS)

DK

%EU27


65

What do you think are the two most important issues facing (OUR COUNTRY) at the moment?

(MAX. 2 ANSWERS)

47%

45%

27%

15%

12%

8%

7%

6%

6%

5%

4%

4%

4%

1%

1%

1%

Economic situation

Unemployment


Crime

Healthcare system

Pensions

Immigration

Taxation


Housing



Terrorism


Other (SPONTANEOUS)

DK

Conversely, quite logically, several “social and societal” items are slightly more

often cited at personal level than at country level: healthcare system (17% vs.

12%), pensions (15% vs. 8%), taxation (11% vs. 6%) and the education system

(9% vs.6%): these issues directly affect the personal lives and quite often even the

financial situation of the interviewees.

%EU27


66

2.4 Direction in which things are going

- Europeans have a negative opinion of the direction of national developments and

are beginning to question the direction of things in the EU -

Concerns about the economic situation are also evident in how Europeans perceive

things to be going in their country, in the European Union and in the United

States43 (this latter item was asked of Europeans for the first time). An outright

majority of Europeans feel that at the present time things are going in the

wrong direction nationally (55%; +6 percentage points).

A relative majority of Europeans now also feel that things are moving in

the wrong direction in the European Union (39%; +5).

Europeans voice more optimism about the United States: 42% feel that things are

going in the right direction. It is possible that Europeans approached these

questions differently: whereas their focus was probably mostly on the economic

situation when answering about how things are going in the European Union, and in

their country, they probably had something different in mind when answering about

the US. The fieldwork for this survey was conducted at a moment of intense media

coverage of the Obama administration taking office44, and Europeans show here

their hopes for a change in American politics.

43 QA8 At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction, in…? 1. (OUR COUNTRY). 2. The European Union. 3. The United States. 44 President Obama was sworn in on January 20th, 2009.

QA.8 At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction, in…? - % EU27

35%

42%

40%

55%

49%

45%

41%

39%

34%

25%

23%

18%

19%

19%

20%

20%

19% 19%

21%

4%

4%

5%

12%

12%

14% 16%

29%

34%

32%

28%

23%

4%

Our Country


EB70 Aut. 2008

EB69 Spr. 2008

EB68 Aut. 2007

The European Union


EB70 Aut. 2008

EB69 Spr. 2008

EB68 Aut. 2007

Things are going in the right direction Things are going in the wrong direction

Neither the one nor the other (SP.) DK


67

An analysis of the socio-demographic variables confirms that people’s opinions in

this regard are connected to the economic crisis: unemployed people are most

critical of the direction in which things are moving in their country (66% ‘wrong’).

QA8a.1 At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction, in…?

(OUR COUNTRY)

Things are going in the

right direction

Things are going in the

wrong direction

Neither the one nor the

other (SPONTANE-

OUS)

DK

EU27 23% 55% 18% 4% Age

15-24 28% 50% 17% 5% 25-39 23% 56% 17% 4% 40-54 21% 58% 18% 3%

55 + 24% 54% 17% 5% Education (End of)

15- 17% 61% 17% 5% 16-19 23% 56% 17% 4% 20+ 28% 51% 17% 4%

Still studying 32% 43% 19% 6% Respondent occupation scale

Self-employed 23% 54% 19% 4% Managers 28% 51% 18% 3% Other white collars

24% 53% 19% 4%

Manual workers 21% 58% 17% 4% House persons 18% 58% 20% 4% Unemployed 18% 66% 12% 4% Retired 24% 54% 17% 5%

Students 32% 43% 19% 6%

It should be noted that there is a strong correlation between how people assess the

direction of things in their country and in the European Union as a whole: eight out

of ten Europeans who feel that things in their country are moving in the right

direction also feel this is the case for the EU (80%); Similarly, 64% of respondents

who feel that things in their country are moving in the wrong direction hold the

same opinion about the direction in which things are moving in the EU. This

correlation provides further evidence that respondents answer this question in the

context of the current economic climate rather than seeing it as a measure of how

things are going politically in their country and in the European Union as a whole.

An analysis of the national results reveals that the proportion of citizens who feel

that things are moving in the right direction is now lower than it was in autumn

2008.


68

QA8.1 At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction in (OUR COUNTRY)?

Things are going in the right direction

Change January-February 2009 –

Autumn 2008

Things are going in the wrong direction


Autumn 2008

EU27 23% -5 55% +6

LU 47% +6 25% -10

SI 41% -8 32% +7

SE 41% -6 43% +8

CY 39% +6 31% -4

AT 39% +5 35% -2

SK 38% -4 25% +4

FI 34% -2 56% +7

DE 32% -6 39% +2

PL 32% -9 46% +9

NL 30% -12 38% +13

EE 30% -12 43% +9

DK 30% -14 57% +9

RO 30% -9 46% +12

CZ 27% -6 46% +8

MT 27% -10 37% -2

FR 21% -3 66% +1

BE 20% -5 59% +3

ES 19% -5 62% +9

UK 17% -6 70% +7

BG 16% -7 53% +11

PT 16% -7 53% +12

IT 15% 0 56% +6

EL 12% -6 73% +4

IE 10% -5 74% +14

LT 6% -13 86% +21

HU 5% -3 80% +6

LV 5% -14 81% +20

Figures in bold=majority view in the country

Results by country for the question on the national situation can be summarised as follows:

♦ There are now only 5 Member States where the majority view is that

things are moving in the right direction, whereas in autumn 2008 there

were 9 countries and in spring 2008 as many as 14 countries where

this was the case.

♦ Luxembourg, Cyprus and Austria are the only countries where public

opinion has improved since autumn 2008. The strongest negative

developments have been recorded in Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark,

Estonia and the Netherlands.


69

♦ Compared to autumn 2008, the mood is somewhat more upbeat in the

candidate country Turkey (26%; +4) whereas a negative development

is noted in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (33%; -10). As

in autumn 2008, citizens in Croatia are most critical about the

developments in their country (15% ‘right direction’; -1).

Public opinion about the direction in which things are going in the European Union

is somewhat less pessimistic. However, the national analyses show wide differences

in opinion and the trend is generally negative.

QA8.2 At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction in the European Union?

Things are going in the right direction


Autumn 2008

Things are going in the wrong direction


Autumn 2008

EU27 29% -6 39% +6

SI 48% -5 21% +2

BG 46% -9 11% +4

RO 45% -12 17% +7

EE 44% -9 17% +3

PL 42% -11 23% +9

CZ 40% -7 27% +3

SK 40% -8 17% +3

CY 39% +7 22% -3

SE 38% -7 34% +6

LU 36% +3 35% -3

DE 36% -5 32% +1

NL 35% -10 31% +8

DK 32% -8 46% +2

AT 31% +5 42% -2

BE 31% -5 46% +3

FI 30% 0 55% +1

LV 27% -7 33% +2

FR 26% -3 50% -1

EL 25% -12 47% +5

MT 25% -15 31% +8

PT 23% -6 33% +7

ES 22% -7 48% +11

HU 21% -8 42% +11

IT 20% 0 42% +3

UK 19% -7 52% +5

IE 18% -3 51% +16

LT 13% -17 58% +19


♦ There are now 12 Member States where the majority view is that

things are going in the right direction, compared to 15 in Autumn 2008

and 23 in Spring 2008 when a more consistent picture emerged

concerning the direction in which things were moving in the European

Union.


70

♦ Positive developments have been recorded in the three countries where

public opinion also improved concerning national prospects:

Luxembourg, Cyprus and Austria. In all other countries the

development is negative, with the largest drops in the proportions of

respondents indicating that things are moving in the right direction in

the European Union recorded in Lithuania (-17) and Malta (-15).

♦ In the candidate countries, citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia are most positive about the direction in which things are

moving (44%); even this is less marked than in autumn 2008 (-8).

Only around a quarter of citizens in Croatia (27%; +2) and Turkey

(24%; -3) feel that things are moving in the right direction in the

European Union.

Finally, a brief analysis by country of the perceived developments in the United

States reveals that in 17 Member States, the majority view is that things are

moving in the right direction. This view is most widely expressed in Denmark and

Germany (59% each) followed by the other Scandinavian countries and Benelux.

Conversely, over half of the citizens in Greece (53%) as well as the candidate

country Turkey (51%) feel that things are moving in the wrong direction in the

United States. The majority of citizens in Bulgaria (37%), Portugal and Malta (32%)

and similar proportions of citizens in Latvia (33%) lack an opinion on this issue.

Interestingly, respondents from the UK are somewhat less positive than the EU

average (41% think that things are going on the right direction, vs. 35% who hold

the contrary view, compared to 42% vs. 29% in the EU).


71


72

2.5 Priority actions to help overcome the economic crisis - The concern about unemployment is reflected in the actions Europeans would like

the EU to take to help overcome the crisis -

Throughout this chapter we have seen how the economic crisis inflates concerns

about unemployment among all Europeans and how the unemployed are most

directly impacted by the crisis. In this context it will come as no surprise that

Europeans most want the European Union to take actions to support the

unemployed. Asked which domains should be given priority if the European Union

decides on actions to help overcome the crisis45, 35% of respondents selected

“support for the unemployed”46, once again highlighting the plight of the

unemployed at a time of crisis. Almost as many respondents selected “support to

SMEs” (31%)47, followed by “education, training research” (29%), measures which

also stimulate the labour market, if less directly.

QA19 If the European Union decides on actions to help to overcome the crisis, in which domains do you think these actions should be taken in priority? (ROTATE –

MAX. 2 ANSWERS) - % EU

31%

29%

23%

22%

20%

20%

3%

35%

1%

1%

Support for the unemployed

Support to SMEs

Education/ training/ research

Healthcare

Energy/ environment relatedmeasures

Investment in infrastructures

Pensions

Others (SPONTANEOUS)

None (SPONTANEOUS)

DK

The national analyses reveal that in 8 Member States, “support for the

unemployed” is the preferred domain for priority action by the EU. This desire is

most widely expressed in Spain (61%), which is surely influenced by the fact that

at present Spain has the highest unemployment rate48 in the European Union.

Swedish respondents least frequently selected “support for the unemployed” as an

area for immediate EU action (20%).

45 QA19 If the European Union decides on actions to help to overcome the crisis, in which domains do you think these actions should be taken in priority? (ROTATE – MAX. 2 ANSWERS) 46 Self-evidently, this desire is most often expressed by unemployed Europeans (58%). 47 Equally obvious is the finding that self-employed people most want the EU to support SMEs (44%). 48 14.8% in January 2009.

%EU27


73

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QA19. If the European Union decides on actions to help to overcome the crisis, in which domains do you think these actions should be taken in priority? (ROTATE – MAX. 2 ANSWERS)

Highest percentage per item Highest percentage by country

There are even more Member States (10) where the top choice for action is

“support for SMEs”, although the strength of this desire is somewhat less

important. Latvia and Slovenia (53%) are the countries where citizens most want

the EU to take action in this domain. Less than one citizen in ten in the UK (5%),

Ireland and Malta (8% each) feel that the EU should take priority action in this

area.

In 7 Member States, citizens most want the EU to take action in the domain of

“education, training and research”. This desire is most widely expressed in

Ireland (46%) and Denmark (45%) and least so in Poland (14%).

In Germany, equal proportions of respondents selected “support for SMEs” and

“education, training and research” (41% each). Finally, Romania stands out as the

only Member State where respondents most often selected “healthcare” as the

domain where actions should be taken in priority (35%). It should be said that in

Ireland 38% of respondents selected this answer and also that more than a third of

the respondents in Finland (34%) want the EU to take priority action in the domain

of healthcare.


74

The Portuguese are quite specific in their answers to this question: while pensions

are only in sixth position at the European level – equal with investment in

infrastructure –, this item ranks second in Portugal, mentioned by 35% of the

respondents in this country, far ahead of Belgium, the second country citing

pensions, with 28%. The Portuguese seem to consider that the older generation is

suffering significantly from the crisis.

In Sweden, citizens confirm their traditional concern about the environment, with

the highest proportion of respondents giving the answer “Energy/ environment

related measures” (38%), just behind education, training and research (41%) and

support for SMEs (40%). In fourth place, somewhat fewer than one out of three

Swedes express the wish for more EU investment in infrastructures (32%). This is

the highest national answer for this item.

The following table shows the results by country. Figures in bold highlight the most

frequently selected domain per country, figures in boxes highlight the highest

recorded percentage per domain and figures in italics highlight the lowest recorded

percentage per domain.


75

2.6 The role of the EU in the global economic crisis In this final section the focus is on the desired role of the European Union in the

context of the global economic crisis.

2.6.1 Regulation of the global financial markets

We begin by examining the desired role of the European Union in developing new

rules for the global financial markets49.

- Majority of Europeans desires a more important role for the EU -

One European in three totally agrees with the statement that the European Union

should take a more important role in developing new rules for the global financial

markets (34%). With a further 44% tending to agree, there is widespread support

for a more active role of the EU in this regard. Only one European in ten disagrees

with the statement (11%).

49 QA18.1 Can you tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding the role of the European Union in the economy? The European Union should take a more important role in developing new rules for the global financial markets.


76

An analysis of the socio-demographics shows that support is widespread among all

Europeans, irrespective of their age, education or occupation even if the level of

support differs somewhat.

QA18. 1 The EU should take a more important role in developing new rules for the global

financial markets

Totally agree

Tend to agree

Tend to disagree

Totally disagree DK

Total Agree

Total Disagree

EU27 34% 44% 8% 3% 11% 78% 11% Age

15-24 30% 46% 9% 2% 13% 76% 11% 25-39 34% 47% 8% 3% 8% 81% 11% 40-54 34% 45% 9% 3% 9% 79% 12%

55 + 35% 39% 8% 4% 14% 74% 12% Education (End of)

15- 28% 40% 9% 4% 19% 68% 13% 16-19 33% 46% 8% 3% 10% 79% 11% 20+ 41% 44% 7% 2% 6% 85% 9%

Still studying 33% 45% 9% 2% 11% 78% 11%

Respondent occupation scale Self-employed 36% 45% 9% 3% 7% 81% 12% Managers 39% 45% 8% 3% 5% 84% 11% Other white collars

32% 50% 9% 2% 7% 82% 11%

Manual workers 32% 45% 9% 3% 11% 77% 12% House persons 30% 43% 7% 4% 16% 73% 11% Unemployed 31% 44% 10% 2% 13% 75% 12% Retired 35% 39% 7% 4% 15% 74% 11%

Students 33% 45% 9% 2% 11% 78% 11%

The national results show a slightly less homogeneous picture with support levels

ranging from 66% in Latvia and Ireland to 93% in Cyprus and Greece. The extent

to which Europeans disagree with the statement also varies from country to

country, with Austrian respondents most frequently dissenting (23%).


77


78

2.6.2 Defending Europe’s economic interests

We next look at the perceived ability of the EU defend the economic interests of

Europe50.

- Europeans believe in the EU’s ability to defend Europe’s economic interests -

The European Union is widely regarded by Europeans as having sufficient

power and tools to defend the economic interests of Europe in the global

economy with six out of ten Europeans giving a positive verdict (61%). However, a

quarter of Europeans do not believe in the EU’s ability to defend Europe’s economic

interests.

Although the degree of conviction differs somewhat depending on people’s socio-

demographic characteristics, the majority of Europeans do not believe in the EU’s

ability in this regard, irrespective of their age, education or occupation.

50 QA18.1 Can you tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding the role of the European Union in the economy? The European Union has sufficient power and tools to defend the economic interests of Europe in the global economy.


79

The European Union has sufficient power and tools to defend the economic interests of

Europe in the global economy

Totally agree

Tend to agree

Tend to disagree

Totally disagree DK

Total Agree

Total Disagree

EU27 19% 42% 19% 6% 14% 61% 25% Age

15-24 20% 44% 17% 4% 15% 64% 21% 25-39 21% 44% 20% 5% 10% 65% 25% 40-54 20% 42% 20% 6% 12% 62% 26%

55 + 18% 39% 20% 6% 17% 57% 26% Education (End of)

15- 17% 38% 17% 6% 22% 55% 23% 16-19 18% 44% 20% 6% 12% 62% 26% 20+ 23% 42% 22% 5% 8% 65% 27%

Still studying 21% 43% 17% 5% 14% 64% 22%

Respondent occupation scale Self-employed 23% 43% 19% 6% 9% 66% 25% Managers 20% 46% 22% 6% 6% 66% 28% Other white collars

17% 48% 21% 4% 10% 65% 25%

Manual workers 20% 42% 18% 6% 14% 62% 24% House persons 17% 37% 18% 7% 21% 54% 25% Unemployed 20% 40% 20% 6% 14% 60% 26% Retired 18% 39% 20% 6% 17% 57% 26%

Students 21% 43% 17% 5% 14% 64% 22%

In all Member States a majority of citizens agree that the EU has sufficient power and tools to defend the economic interests of Europe in the global economy. This view is most widely held by citizens in Greece (85%) and Cyprus (84%). The highest level of disagreement exists in Sweden (37%), France and the UK (35% each).


80

2.6.3 Globalisation

Finally, we examine how Europeans in a more general context think about the EU’s

role concerning the effects of globalisation51. This is a question that is regularly

asked in the Eurobarometer but that now also needs to be interpreted in the light of

the current economic crisis.

-The majority of Europeans feel that the EU acts in the benefit of its citizens -

In order to grasp the pluralistic nature of globalisation, the total sample was split in

half and each group was posed a differently slanted question about the capability of

the EU to act on behalf of its citizens in tackling globalisation52. One statement was

formulated negatively and the other positively.

Irrespective of the wording of the statement, Europeans tend to recognise

the role of the EU in enabling its citizens to benefit from globalisation

(51%) as well as protecting them from its negative effects (45%).

51 We recognise that the term ‘globalisation’ embraces more than just economic aspects. However, given the current focus on the economy, it will mostly be perceived as referring to the integration of economies. 52 A technique known in opinion polling as a “Split Ballot”

QA.17 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? - % EU27

45%

43%

0

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38%

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The EU helps to protect European citizensfrom the negative effects of globalisation


EB70 Aut. 2008

The EU enables European citizens to better benefitfrom the positive effects of globalisation

EB70 Aut. 2008

Total "Agree" Total "Disagree" DK


QA17 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

SPLIT A: The European Union helps to protect us from the negative effects of

globalisation.

SPLIT B: The European Union enables European citizens to better benefit from the

positive effects of globalisation.


81

We also see, however, that substantial proportions disagree with this view (30%

and 38% respectively).

The national analyses indicate that in most countries the role of the EU concerning

the positive effects of globalisation is more widely recognised than its protective

role. It must be noted, however, that in a number of countries the EU’s role in

respect of globalisation is generally well regarded both in terms of enhancing the

benefits and of protection (i.e. in the Scandinavian countries, Finland, Slovakia,

Poland, Cyprus and Germany) whereas in other countries there is a general sense

of disagreement with both statements (i.e. Latvia, Slovenia, Portugal and Greece).

France is close to this group of countries.

If we look at the shifts since autumn 2008, we find that in a number of countries

both statements are now more positively received (i.e. in Finland, Sweden,

Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, Estonia, Romania). In other countries the reverse

occurred (i.e. in Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal and the UK). In the Netherlands we

note that citizens are now specifically less likely to appreciate the EU’s protective

role.

This mixed picture indicates that the situation is very country-specific, and in the

current economic situation, it is often strongly influenced by particular events such

as the banking crisis in the Netherlands.


82

The European Union helps to protect us from the negative effects of globalisation. (SPLIT A) (+/- Autumn 2008 in brackets)

The European Union enables European citizens to better benefit from the positive effects of

globalisation. (SPLIT B) (+/- Autumn 2008 in brackets)

Agree Disagree Agree Disagree

EU27 45% (+1) 38% (+1) EU27 51% (+3) 30% (-1)

DK 58% (+10) 27% (-14) FI 75% (+13) 18% (-10)

FI 55% (+6) 39% (-1) SE 74% (+8) 14% (-1)

SK 55% (+4) 33% (+4) DK 71% (-2) 20% (+3)

BE 55% (0) 40% (0) PL 63% (+9) 12% (-5)

RO 53% (+10) 19% (-7) NL 60% (-3) 25% (+2)

SE 52% (+6) 32% (-3) SK 60% (+1) 24% (+1)

CY 52% (+2) 26% (0) CY 59% (+17) 21% (-7)

CZ 50% (+5) 38% (-1) BE 59% (+5) 34% (-6)

PL 50% (+1) 28% (+4) LU 58% (+11) 29% (-8)

EE 49% (+4) 34% (-2) EE 55% (+6) 21% (-1)

MT 48% (+8) 22% (-8) DE 55% (+5) 35% (-3)

ES 48% (+7) 23% (0) IE 53% (+3) 12% (-2)

NL 48% (-8) 37% (+5) MT 52% (-4) 18% (+5)

LU 46% (+6) 39% (-4) ES 51% (+10) 18% (-6)

BG 46% (+2) 27% (+10) AT 51% (+5) 39% (-5)

DE 46% (-1) 47% (+6) CZ 50% (+2) 34% (-2)

IT 45% (-1) 36% (+4) HU 49% (+2) 37% (+5)

AT 44% (-1) 47% (+3) RO 48% (+7) 18% (-1)

HU 43% (+3) 48% (+8) BG 48% (+1) 22% (+6)

LT 42% (+5) 24% (-5) LT 46% (-2) 18% (+1)

IE 42% (+4) 27% (+1) UK 46% (-4) 33% (+9)

EL 42% (+3) 52% (-8) IT 45% (-3) 36% (+4)

PT 42% (-1) 30% (+5) FR 44% (+9) 42% (-8)

SI 41% (0) 49% (+1) SI 41% (+1) 48% (+4)

UK 37% (+1) 43% (+4) PT 41% (-3) 30% (+6)

FR 34% (-2) 53% (-3) EL 40% (-1) 56% (-1)

LV 26% (0) 48% (-9) LV 34% (-3) 38% (-1)



83

PART II:

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS CITIZENS


84

II. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS CITIZENS

This section covers the aspects of the relationship between the European Union and

its citizens.

1) Attachment to the European Union: Support for membership of the European

Union, the perceived benefits of membership at national level, and trust in the

European Union and its image.

2) The European institutions: Trust in three European bodies: the European

Commission, the European Parliament and the European Central Bank.

3) The European Union today and tomorrow: the perceived role of the

European Union in national issues, aspects that should be emphasised in the

coming years to strengthen the European Union in the future and the perceived

quality of life of future generations.

4) Information and media: Trust in information and media and citizens’

preferred media for obtaining information about politics and political matters.


85

1. ATTACHMENT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION 1.1 Support for membership of the European Union

- Support for EU membership remains stable -

Support for EU membership remains stable despite a worsening of the

economic context53. Support for the European Union still constitutes the majority

view (52%, -1 point since autumn 2008), with over a quarter considering their

country’s membership as neither good nor bad (27%, no change) and only 16%

(+1 point) of Europeans believing that their country’s membership is a bad thing.

The analysis of the national results highlights wide differences between Member

States: The Dutch (78%), the Luxembourgers (74%), the Belgians and the Irish

(both 68%), Romanians and Slovakians (67% each) and finally the Danes (66%)

emerge as the most supportive of their country’s EU membership. In Latvia,

citizens are undecided about the pros and cons of EU membership (48% find it

neither good nor bad). In the UK, public opinion is strongly divided: 33% of citizens

view their country’s membership negatively, 32% find it neither good nor bad and

29% view it positively.

In addition to the UK (33%) and Latvia (26%), we find that citizens are most likely

to view their country’s membership of the EU as a bad thing in Hungary and Austria

(23% each).

The results for the candidate countries give a mixed picture: in the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia nearly two thirds of citizens believe that their country’s

accession to the EU would be a good thing (64%), in Turkey this applies to close to

two fifths (39%) whereas in Croatia fewer than three out of ten citizens are

optimistic (29%).

53 QA6 Generally speaking, do you think that (OUR COUNTRY)'s membership of the European Union is...?

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87

The socio-demographic analyses reproduce the traditional divide in public opinion

with regard to the European Union: men (57% vs. 48% of women), the young

(61% of those aged 15-24 vs. 47% of those aged 55 and over), the most educated

(67% of those who stayed in full-time education until age 20 and beyond vs. 38%

of those who left school age 15 or younger) and managers (67% vs. 43% of

unemployed citizens) are the Europeans most in favour of their country’s

membership of the EU.

A good thing

A bad thingNeither

good nor bad

Don't know

EU27 52% 16% 27% 5%GenderMale 57% 16% 24% 3%Female 48% 16% 30% 6%Age15-24 61% 9% 25% 5%25-39 56% 13% 28% 3%40-54 50% 17% 29% 4%55 + 47% 19% 27% 7%Education (End of)15- 38% 23% 30% 9%16-19 48% 17% 31% 4%20+ 67% 10% 21% 2%Still studying 71% 6% 19% 4%Respondent occupation scaleSelf- employed 53% 14% 29% 4%Managers 67% 13% 19% 1%Other white collars 56% 11% 30% 3%Manual workers 49% 18% 30% 3%House persons 47% 18% 28% 7%Unemployed 43% 19% 33% 5% Retired 46% 19% 28% 7%Image of the EUPositive 83% 4% 11% 2%Neutral 38% 12% 44% 6%Negative 12% 54% 30% 4%

QA6a Generally speaking, do you think that (OUR COUNTRY)'s membership of the European Union is...?

The other traditional divide concerns people’s attitudes to the European Union:

Europeans with a positive image of the EU overwhelmingly consider their country’s

membership to be a good thing (83%) whereas the majority of citizens who have a

negative image of the EU consider their country’s membership to be a bad thing

(54%).

An analysis of the shifts in support for the European Union since autumn 2008

points to a particularly positive development in Cyprus where the proportion of

citizens who consider their country’s membership to be a good thing increased from

40% to 54%. Positive shifts have also been recorded in Slovakia (+5), Italy (+4)

and Belgium, France and Luxembourg (+3 each).


88

There are also countries where public opinion is now less favourable: the largest

drops have occurred in Bulgaria (-8) and Poland (-7), followed by smaller decreases

in the percentage of “good thing” responses in Germany, Latvia (-4 each) and the

UK (-3).

Among the three candidate countries a positive development has been recorded in

Croatia (+6) whereas the proportion of citizens who consider that their country’s

accession to the EU would be good thing fell slightly in Turkey (-3).

Autumn 2008 (EB70)

Jan.-Feb 2009

(EB71.1)Evolution

(% points)EU27 53% 52% -1CY 40% 54% +14 SK 62% 67% +5IT 40% 44% +4BE 65% 68% +3FR 49% 52% +3LU 71% 74% +3DK 64% 66% +2ES 62% 64% +2HU 31% 33% +2FI 48% 50% +2MT 46% 48% +2AT 39% 41% +2IE 67% 68% +1RO 66% 67% +1LT 55% 55% 0EL 45% 44% -1SE 59% 58% -1CZ 46% 44% -2EE 61% 59% -2NL 80% 78% -2PT 50% 48% -2SI 59% 57% -2UK 32% 29% -3LV 27% 23% -4DE 64% 60% -4PL 65% 58% -7BG 48% 40% -8

HR 23% 29% +6MK 62% 64% -2TR 42% 39% -3

QA6a Generally speaking, do you think that (OUR COUNTRY)'s

membership of the European Union is...? A good thing


89

1.2 The perceived benefits of membership

- 55% of Europeans feel their country has benefited from EU membership –

The number of positive attitudes to EU membership is matched by similar levels of

Europeans who feel their country has on balance benefited from membership: 55%

of Europeans think that their country has on balance profited (-1 point

compared to autumn 2008)54. Around a third of respondents (32%; +2) feel that

their country has not benefited from EU membership. The economic crisis does not

seem to affect attitudes towards the EU.

The view that EU membership has on balance been beneficial is most widely held by

the Irish (80%), Slovakians (79%), the Danes and the Dutch (76% each) and

Estonians (75%). In fact, it is the majority view in nearly all countries. In only four

Member States do we find a majority with opposite views: Latvia (56%), Hungary

(55%), the UK (50%) and Bulgaria (44%). In Austria, opinions are divided: 44% of

citizens feel their country has benefited whereas 42% feel it has not benefited.

In line with the results for support of EU membership, a mixed situation exists

among the candidate countries: in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia a

broad majority of citizens believe their country would benefit (74%), in Turkey this

applies to close to half of its citizens (47%) while in Croatia the proportion is lowest

(38%).

54 QA7 Taking everything into account, would you say that (OUR COUNTRY) has on balance benefited or not from being a member of the European Union?

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. 200

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ut.2

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. 200

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ut.

2007

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8Ja

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b20

09

EB42

EB44

EB46

EB47

EB48

EB49

EB50

EB51

EB52

EB53

EB54

EB55

EB56

EB57

EB58

EB59

EB60

EB61

EB62

EB63

EB64

EB65

EB66

EB67

EB68

EB69

EB70

EB71

.1

Benefite

dN

ot

benefite

dD

K


91


92

The stable situation noted at EU level mirrors the developments in most individual

Member States with relatively few important shifts noted since autumn 2008.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

% Has benefited January-

February 2009


Autumn 2008

EU27 55% -1

CY 59% +16

BE 72% +4

LU 72% +4

FR 54% +3

…

…

…

AT 44% -3%

EE 75% -3%

MT 57% -3%

UK 36% -3%

PT 56% -4%

HU 35% -4%

BG 31% -12%

LV 35% -13%

♦ Cyprus is the only country where a large and significant improvement

has occurred since autumn 2008 (+16).

♦ The opposite holds for Latvia (-13) and Bulgaria (-12).

In socio-demographic terms, it is important to point out that very large differences

exist depending on how long people stayed in full-time education: 70% of the most

highly educated Europeans feel that EU membership has been beneficial for their

country, compared to only 40% of citizens who completed their full-time education

aged 15 or younger. This correlates to the age variable: 65% of the young aged

15-24 think that their country has benefited from being a Member State of the

European Union, compared to 49% of the older respondents aged 55+.


93

BenefitedNot

benefitedDK

EU27 55% 32% 13%Age15-24 65% 22% 13%25-39 59% 29% 12%40-54 55% 34% 11%55 + 49% 37% 14%Education (End of)15- 40% 43% 17%16-19 51% 36% 13%20+ 70% 22% 8%Still studying 74% 14% 12%Respondent occupation scaleSelf-employed 59% 29% 12%Managers 69% 23% 8%Other white collars 60% 29% 11%Manual workers 51% 37% 12%House persons 47% 36% 17%Unemployed 48% 38% 14%Retired 48% 37% 15%Students 74% 14% 12%Membership EUA good thing 86% 9% 5%A bad thing 9% 87% 4%Neither good nor bad 30% 47% 23%

QA7a Taking everything into account, would you say that (OUR COUNTRY) has on balance benefited or not from being a member of the European Union?

The proportions of Europeans who feel that their country has benefited from EU

membership (86% vs. 9%) show a strong correlation with the same respondents'

answers to the question of whether their country's membership was a good thing,

showing that these two indicators are closely related.


94

1.3 Trust in the European Union

- Trust in the EU remains unchanged -

The economic crisis does not appear to have had an impact on the levels of trust

that citizens express in the European Union: As in autumn 2008, nearly five out of

ten Europeans trust the European Union (47%, unchanged), while four in ten

citizens tend not to trust it (40%, -1 point)55.

For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it.

The European Union - % EU

50%

47%

47%

36%

41%

40%

14%

12%

13%

EB69 Sp. 2008

EB70 Aut. 2008


Tend to trust Tend not to trust DK

We also see increased trust in the national governments: 38% of Europeans now

trust their country’s government (+4)56. It would thus seem that, unlike during

other moments of crisis, on this occasion citizens are looking to governments for

help rather than trusting them less as has often been the tendency.


The (NATIONALITY) Government - % EU

38%

34%

32%

56%

61%

62%

6%

5%

6%


EB70 Aut. 2008

EB69 Sp. 2008


55 QA9.3 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The European Union. 56 QA9.1 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The (NATIONALITY) Government.

%EU27

%EU27


95

Around two-thirds of citizens in Estonia (67%), Slovakia (66%), the Netherlands

(65%) and Cyprus (64%) express trust in the European Union. A tendency to

distrust the Union is the majority sentiment in the UK (59%) and Latvia (49%),

with opinions divided in Austria (45% each) and Italy (41% trust and 42%

distrust).

Among the candidate countries the tendency in Turkey (63%) and Croatia (57%) is

to distrust the European Union. People in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia are divided in this regard: 45% of respondents say they trust the Union

and 42% say they distrust it.


96

The evolution since autumn 2008 shows a number of significant shifts in opinion at

the national level. Trust improves in five countries (+7 points in Luxembourg, +6 in

Finland, +5 in Cyprus, +3 in Germany and Austria). Significant falls in levels of

trust are recorded in Latvia (-9), Bulgaria (-7), Ireland (-6), Poland and Malta (-5

each) and Slovakia (-4).

TRUST IN THE EU

% Tend to trust January-February

2009 (EB71.1)


Autumn 2008

EU27 42% -2

LU 54% +7

FI 55% +6

CY 64% +5

DE 46% +3

AT 45% +3

…

CZ 55% -3

EL 55% -3

HU 48% -3

SK 66% -4

MT 54% -5

PL 50% -5

IE 44% -6

BG 51% -7

LV 35% -9

In the candidate countries, trust levels did not change significantly in Croatia (+1)

or Turkey (-2) while they are now much lower in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (-6).

The socio-demographic analyses reproduce the pattern presented throughout this

chapter: men (49% vs. 44% of women), the young (57% of those aged 15-24 vs.

43% of those aged 55 and over), the most educated (57% of those who stayed in

full-time education until age 20 and beyond vs. 35% of those who left school age

15 or younger) and managers (54% vs. 35% of unemployed citizens) are the

Europeans who most often trust the European Union. This reflects the traditional

divisions of public opinion with regard to the European Union and closely matches

support for one’s own country’s membership of the Union: 70% who feel this is a

good thing trust the EU whereas 81% who regard it as a bad thing do not trust the

EU.


97

Tend to trust

Tend not to trust

DK


QA9.3 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if

you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it.

The European Union


98

1.4 The image of the European Union

- A small majority of Europeans have a positive image of the EU -

Whilst support for membership, opinions on its perceived benefits and

trust have remained almost stable, the overall image of the EU is shifting57.

Though a small majority still have positive views (43%; -2), the proportion of

Europeans whose image of the EU is neutral increased again (38%; +2 points).

This trend has been observed since autumn 2007 and suggests more public

reservations.

QA10 For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it.

The European Union - % EU

48%

45%

43%

35%

36%

38%

15%

17%

17%

2%

2%

2%

EB69 Sp. 2008

EB70 Aut. 2008


Positive Neutral Negative DK

Close to two-third of Romanians (64%), 58% of the Irish, 57% of Slovenians and

Slovakians and 56% of Cypriots have a positive image of the European Union

compared to fewer than a quarter of Latvians (21%), British (22%) and Finnish

(24%).

There are 16 Member States where a (relative) majority of citizens have a positive

image of the European Union but in 7 countries the most prevalent stance is a

neutral one: Latvia (57%), Finland (56%), Estonia (50%), the Netherlands (45%),

Hungary (42%), Sweden and Austria (40% each). In Poland there are as many

respondents who answered ‘positive’ as there are respondents who answered

‘neutral’ (45% each) whereas in Lithuania those who see the EU's image as neutral

just outnumber those with a positive view (45% vs. 44%). Public opinion is also

divided in the Czech Republic (42% positive vs. 40% neutral). The UK is the only

Member State where a (relative) majority of citizens have a negative image of the

EU (39%). Among the candidate countries, this is also the case in Turkey (40%),

whereas citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have a positive

image (59%) and the dominant view in Croatia is one of neutrality towards the EU

(39%).

57 QA10 In general, does the European Union conjure up for you a very positive, fairly positive, neutral, fairly negative or very negative image?

%EU27


99


100

The analysis of shifts since autumn 2008 shows that the largest increase in the

proportion of ‘positive’ responses has again been recorded in Cyprus (+6).

Significant positive increases have also been registered in Greece (+4) and Slovakia

and Hungary (+3 each).

IMAGE OF THE EU

% Positive January-February

2009 (EB71.1) Change January-February

2009 – Autumn 2008

EU27 43% -2

CY 56% +6

EL 45% +4

SK 57% +3

HU 37% +3

…

BE 47% -4

DE 44% -4

LT 44% -4

EE 42% -4

FI 24% -4

UK 22% -4

MT 43% -6

SE 37% -7

LV 21% -8

PL 45% -9

BG 48% -10

NL 41% -11

Conversely, in 12 Member States a drop of 4 percentage points or more in the

proportion of ‘positive’ responses has been recorded. The most substantial fall in

positive opinions occurred in the Netherlands (-11), followed by Bulgaria (-10).

The evolution in the candidate countries is positive in Croatia (+4), stable in the

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (-1) and negative in Turkey (-10).


101

Finally, in socio-demographic terms, a European who has a positive image of the

European Union is more likely to…

♦ …be male (47% positive) than female (39%);

♦ …be young (aged 15-24: 50%) than to belong to the oldest age group

(aged 55+: 39%);

♦ …have spent a longer time in education (aged 20+ when finished

education: 53%) than left school earlier (aged 15-: 31%).

Positive Negative DK


QA10 In general, does the European Union conjure up for you a very positive, fairly positive, neutral, fairly negative or very negative image?


102

2. THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS

Having examined trust in the European Union as a whole in the previous section,

this chapter focuses exclusively on trust linked to three specific European bodies:

the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Central

Bank58.

2.1 The European Parliament

- A majority trust the European Parliament but the trend goes downwards -

Just a few months away from the European elections, the latest results for trust

in the European Parliament are worrying. We see a steep drop in confidence

and in fact the results are the worst in ten years: the proportion of Europeans who

express trust in the European Parliament now stands at 45% (-6 points) while the

proportion who tend not to trust it has increased from 31% in autumn 2008 to 37%

in January-February 2009.

QA11.1 And, for each of them, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it?

-The European Parliament- % EU

52%56% 55%

52% 51%

45%

32%28% 27% 27%

31%

37%

16% 16%18%

21%18% 18%

50%53% 52% 51%52% 52%53% 52%

57%54%

59%57%

54% 54%57%

31%28% 27% 28%

24% 23% 23%27%

29%26%

34%30%

28%25% 24%

19%16%

18%22%

19% 20% 20%17% 16%

22%20% 19% 19%

23%19%

Sp. 1999 Aut .1999 Sp. 2000 Aut .2000 Sp. 2001 Aut .2001 Sp. 2002 Aut .2002 Sp. 2003 Aut .2003 Sp. 2004 Aut .2004 Sp.2005 Aut .2005 Sp.2006 Aut .2006 Sp.2007 Aut . 2007 Sp.2008 Aut .2008 Jan-Feb.2009

EB51 EB52 EB53 EB54 EB55 EB56 EB57 EB58 EB59 EB60 EB61 EB62 EB63 EB64 EB65 EB66 EB67 EB68 EB69 EB70 EB71.1


Despite this strong decline in trust, we find that Europeans more often express

trust in the European Parliament than in their respective national Parliaments

(36%)59. However, trust in the national Parliaments is now on average somewhat

higher than it was in autumn 2008.

58 QA11 For each of the following European bodies, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it? 1. The European Parliament. 2. The European Commission. 3. The European Central Bank. 59 QA9.2 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The (NATIONALITY) PARLIAMENT.


103


The (NATIONALITY PARLIAMENT) - % EU

36%

34%

34%

55%

58%

58%

9%

8%

8%


EB70 Aut. 2008

EB69 Sp. 2008


If on average fewer than half of European Union citizens give their trust to the

European Parliament, it must be stressed that the EU average conceals wide

differences in trust levels by country. The 27 Member States can be divided

into the following four groups according to the level of trust:

1. In four Member States close to two-thirds of citizens trust the European

Parliament: Belgium and Slovakia (64% each), Cyprus (63%) and the

Netherlands (62%).

2. In thirteen further Member States a large majority of citizens trust the

European Union, with trust levels in these countries ranging from 50% in

the Czech Republic and Hungary to 59% in Denmark.

3. There are eight Member States where the level of trust is close to the EU

average. In Bulgaria (48%), Portugal (46%) Ireland (45%), France, Italy

and Poland (44% each) citizens who trust the European Parliament

outnumber those who lack trust. Then there are two countries where the

gap between those trusting this European body and those who do not is

small (Germany: 44% vs. 40% and Austria: 44% vs. 42%).

4. Lastly, the United Kingdom is the only Member State where an outright

majority of citizens tend not to trust the European Parliament (59%)

while in Latvia a relative majority of citizens’ lack trust (38%).

%EU27


104

In the three candidate countries the situation also varies: a relative majority trust

the European Parliament in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (43%), a

relative majority tend not to trust it in Croatia (49%) while an outright majority

lack trust in Turkey (59%).

Whilst trust levels may differ between countries it is fair to say that the general

trend since autumn 2008 is a downward one: in 21 of the 27 Member States

citizens now less often trust the European Parliament than was the case in autumn

2008 with the largest negative shifts recorded in Portugal, Malta (-11 points each)

and Latvia (-10). This negative trend also applies in all three candidate countries60.

There are only two countries where trust levels have increased since autumn 2008:

Cyprus (+8) and the Netherlands (+4). In Belgium, the UK (both -1) and Greece

and Lithuania (both -2) the shifts are small.

60 Percentage point shifts in % tend to trust = -5 in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; -3 in Croatia and Turkey.


105

TRUST IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT


2009 (EB71.1)


Autumn 2008

EU27 45% -6

CY 63% +8

NL 62% +4

…

…

…

EE 58% -3

DE 44% -3

AT 44% -3

DK 59% -4

ES 53% -4

RO 58% -5

FI 54% -5

SK 64% -6

SE 51% -6

LU 56% -8

CZ 50% -8

FR 44% -8

PL 44% -8

SI 53% -9

HU 50% -9

BG 48% -9

IE 45% -9

IT 44% -9

LV 31% -10

MT 53% -11

PT 46% -11

Finally, we briefly examine trust levels from the socio-demographic perspective.

This analysis reveals the traditional divisions in public opinion with regard to the

European Union, particularly in terms of education and occupation: the most

educated (57% of those who stayed in full-time education until age 20 and beyond

vs. 33% of those who left school age 15 or younger) and managers (53% vs. 37%

of unemployed citizens) are the Europeans who most tend to trust the European

Parliament.


106

Tend to trustTend not to

trustDK

EU27 45% 37% 18%Sex

Male 48% 37% 15%

Female 43% 37% 20%

Age15-24 50% 27% 23%25-39 49% 35% 16%40-54 45% 40% 15%55 + 41% 40% 19%Education (End of)15- 33% 45% 22%16-19 43% 40% 17%20+ 57% 30% 13%Still studying 58% 20% 22%Respondent occupation scaleSelf-employed 49% 36% 15%Managers 53% 34% 13%Other white collars 50% 34% 16%Manual workers 42% 40% 18%House persons 42% 38% 20%Unemployed 37% 46% 17%Retired 41% 40% 19%Students 58% 20% 22%Trust in EUTend to trust 81% 9% 10%Tend not to trust 12% 75% 13%

QA11.1 For each of the following European bodies, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it.

The European Parliament

Although the trend for trust in the European Parliament is more negative than it is

for the level of trust afforded to the European Union as a whole, there is a close

inter-relationship between the two: citizens who trust the European Union far more

often also tend to trust the European Parliament (81%) than is the case for citizens

who do not trust the European Union (12%).


107

2.2 The European Commission

- As for the Parliament, a majority trust the European Commission

but the trend goes downwards -

Although a relative majority of Europeans trust the European Commission

(42%), we see a noticeable drop in trust compared to autumn 2008 (-5 points).

The group of Europeans who do not trust the European Commission is the largest it

has been in ten years (36%; +6).

QA11.2 And, for each of them, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it?

- The European Commission - % EU

48%

52%50%

47% 47%

42%

31%

27% 26% 27%30%

36%

21% 21%24%

26%23% 22%

52%

48%46%

50%53%

47%50%

45%46% 47%46% 46%45%44%

40%

25%

27%

30% 29%

33%

27%29%28%

24%

24%

25%

30%29%

33%31%

25%

28%

24%25%26%27%

21%23%

26%

26%

24%

27%

23%21%

24%

Sp. 1999 Aut.1999 Sp. 2000 Aut.2000 Sp. 2001 Aut.2001 Sp. 2002 Aut.2002 Sp. 2003 Aut.2003 Sp. 2004 Aut.2004 Sp.2005 Aut.2005 Sp.2006 Aut.2006 Sp.2007 Aut.2007 Sp. 2008 Aut.2008 Jan-Feb2009

EB51 EB52 EB53 EB54 EB55 EB56 EB57 EB58 EB59 EB60 EB61 EB62 EB63 EB64 EB65 EB66 EB67 EB68 EB69 EB70 EB71.1


As in the case of the European Parliament, we can observe than trust in the

European Commission remains higher than trust in national governments.

Nevertheless, while this trust in the European Commission is decining significantly,

more Europeans now trust their national governments compared to autumn 2008.

This is very probably an effect of the crisis, as national media have very often

focused on the actions taken nationally by governments to fight the crisis. As a

consequence, the gap between trust in national governments and in the European

Commission has diminished markedly.


The (NATIONALITY) Government - % EU

38%

34%

32%

56%

61%

62%

6%

5%

6%


EB70 Aut. 2008

EB69 Sp. 2008


%EU27


108

As previously noted for the European Parliament, the European average conceals

wide differences in trust at the national level. There are 13 Member States where

an outright majority of citizens trust the European Commission. Trust is most

widespread in Belgium (62%), the Netherlands (61%) and Slovakia (60%).

In a further 9 Member States, a relative majority trust the European Commission.

Only in the UK (55% tend not to trust vs. 23% tend to trust) and Latvia (37% tend

not to trust vs. 28% tend to trust) do negative opinions about the European

Commission outnumber positive opinions. Public opinion is divided in Austria (45%

distrust, vs. 42% trust) France (37% vs. 38%) and Germany (38% vs. 39%).

In the three candidate countries, trust in the European Commission lies far below

the EU average: four out of ten citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia and one third of Croats trust it (34%); while in Turkey only one citizen

in six trusts the European Commission (17%).


109

As for the European Parliament, the general observation at the national level is that

support levels now tend to be lower than they were in autumn 2008. In fact,

Cyprus is the only country where the development is positive (+6), although there

are a further eight countries where only very small shifts (from +2 to -2) occurred

over the course of the last months.

TRUST IN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION


2009 (EB71.1)


Autumn 2008

EU27 42% -5

CY 59% +6

…

…

…

SK 60% -3

EL 53% -3

CZ 50% -4

DE 39% -4

UK 23% -4

SI 56% -5

ES 47% -5

PL 41% -6

LU 50% -7

BG 44% -7

FR 38% -7

PT 45% -8

SE 44% -8

IE 42% -8

IT 41% -8

HU 47% -9

LV 28% -10

MT 48% -11

Focusing on the countries where trust levels have declined significantly, we find the

largest drop in Malta where trust in the European Commission has fallen by as

many percentage points as trust in the European Parliament (-11 each). The same

applies to Latvia (-10 each).


110

Finally, in socio-demographic terms, a European who trusts the European

Commission is more likely to…

♦ …be male (44% tend to trust) than female (39%);

♦ …be young (aged 15-24: 46%) than to belong to the oldest age group

(aged 55+: 38%);

♦ …have spent a longer time in education (aged 20+ when finished

education: 52%) than to have left school earlier (aged 15-: 29%);

♦ …be a manager (49%) than to be unemployed (33%).


trustDK

EU27 42% 36% 22%SexMale 44% 37% 19%

Female 39% 35% 26%



The European Commission


111

2.3 The European Central Bank

- Trust in the ECB is severely dented -

The results show that for the first time in the history of this indicator, Europeans

who distrusted the ECB outnumbered those who trusted it (40% vs. 39%). This

evolution has certainly to be understood in the context of the economic crisis.

QA11.3 For each of the following European bodies, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The European Central Bank - % EU

46% 47%50%

24% 24%

29%26%

39%

50%46%

44%47%

49%47%

50%

42%44%

49%47%

44%43%44%42%

48%

53%

23%24%

29%

25%28%

25%27%26%

23%23%23%27%

25%24%

27%

40%

27% 25%30%27%

34%

27%

30%31%34%

26%27%30%30%

28%30%

26%

28%26%

26%22% 22%

21%

Sp.1999EB51

Aut.1999EB52

Sp.2000EB53

Aut.2000EB54

Sp.2001EB55

Aut.2001EB56

Sp.2002EB57

Aut.2002EB58

Sp.2003EB59

Aut.2003EB60

Sp.2004EB61

Aut.2004EB62

Sp.2005EB63

Aut.2005EB64

Sp.2006EB65

Aut.2006EB66

Sp.2007EB67

Aut.2007EB68

Sp.2008EB69

Aut.2008EB70

Jan.-Feb.2009

EB71.1


With the ECB in charge of deciding the monetary policy in the euro area it should be

noted that trust in the ECB is more widespread in these sixteen countries61 (41%)

than it is in the 11 non-euro countries (34%). However, even in the euro area,

trust in the ECB is not the majority view, with an equal proportion of citizens here

tending not to trust it (41%).

The country-by-country analyses show that trust is most widespread in four euro

area countries: Finland (71%), the Netherlands (64%), Slovakia (59%) and Cyprus

(57%). Denmark is the non euro area country with the highest trust level (65%),

followed by Estonia (54%) and Czech Republic (50%).

In the UK – a non euro country – close to six out of ten people distrust the ECB

(57%). However, an outright majority of citizens in two euro area countries

– Greece (55%) and France (50%) – equally tend not to trust the ECB.

61 The euro area currently comprises Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.


112

Among the three candidate countries trust in the ECB is highest in the Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (40%), followed by Croatia (35%). It is very low in

Turkey (17%).


113

Cyprus, which joined the euro area in January 2008, is the only country where trust

in the ECB has improved since autumn 2008. Apart from two further countries

(Finland and Romania), trust in the ECB fell in all other Member States and in the

candidate countries62, with the largest decreases recorded in six Northern and

Western European countries.

TRUST IN THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK


2009 (EB71.1)


Autumn 2008

EU27 39% -9

CY 57% +8

…

…

…

EE 54% -4

DK 65% -5

SK 59% -6

ES 44% -6

LT 44% -6

PL 34% -6

EL 44% -7

LV 33% -7

UK 21% -7

SI 54% -8

CZ 50% -8

MT 50% -8

AT 49% -8

IE 43% -9

HU 39% -9

IT 36% -9

PT 41% -10

BG 39% -10

LU 46% -14

DE 42% -14

NL 64% -15

BE 49% -15

FR 29% -15

SE 46% -16

The socio-demographic analysis shows a divide in opinion depending on gender,

age and education: a relative majority of men trust the ECB (43%) whereas a

relative majority of women distrust it (41%). This division is equally evident

between Europeans aged 39 and younger and those aged 40 and over and between

Europeans who left school aged 19 or younger and those who stayed in education

longer or are still studying. The highest level of trust is noted for Europeans who

stayed in education the longest (50%) whereas unemployed Europeans most often

distrust the ECB (50%).

62 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (-7); Croatia (-4); Turkey (-3).


114

Occupation – correlated to the level of education, and to the age of the respondent

in the case of students and the retired – also plays a role here: while trust in the

ECB is expressed by a majority of respondents among managers (50% vs. 34%),

other white collars (46% vs. 35%) and the self–employed (,45% vs. 39%), it is the

minority view among manual workers (36% vs. 44%), house persons (33%

vs42%) and the unemployed (30% vs. 50%). There is also a significant contrast

between the retired (35% vs. 42%) and students, who continue to express their

confidence in the ECB (45% vs. 28%).


trustDK

EU27 39% 40% 21%SexMale 43% 39% 18%

Female 35% 41% 24%



The European Central Bank


115

3. THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND TOMORROW

3.1 The perception of the European Union’s role at national level The Eurobarometer frequently includes a question asking how Europeans

perceive the role played by the European Union in their own country

concerning 15 issues63. The European Union is involved in policy making in the 15

issues covered by the question64.

- The EU plays a positive role in most areas -

A majority of Europeans believe that the European Union plays a positive

role in 9 of the 15 policy areas included in the survey. In fact, an outright

majority feel that the EU plays a positive role in research and environmental

protection (51% each) in their country. Close to half of Europeans deliver a positive

assessment with regard to the EU’s role in the fight against climate change (48%)

and over four out of ten Europeans believe that the EU plays a positive role in their

country’s security (44%), the role of their country in the world (42%) and

consumer safety (42%). More than a third of Europeans think that the EU plays a

positive role in their country in terms of the energy supply (39%), fighting crime

(38%) and the economic situation (36%). In two other areas, Europeans are more

divided about the role of the Union: agriculture, where a third of Europeans feel

that the EU plays a positive role but where, equally, a third think that the EU’s role

is negative (33% each); and the healthcare system, where four out of ten

Europeans believe that the EU’s role is neither positive nor negative (40%). Finally,

the European Union’s role is seen as negative in its impact on inflation and food

prices (both 41% negative), immigration (36%) and fighting unemployment (35%).

Nearly as many Europeans believe that the EU plays neither a positive nor a

negative role in fighting unemployment in their country (33%); readers are

reminded that the proportion of citizens who see unemployment as their country’s

most important problem has risen exponentially since autumn 2008 (45%; +19

points) and that Europeans see “support to the unemployed” as the domain in

which the EU should take priority action (35%)65.

63 QA15 And for each of the following issues in (OUR COUNTRY), do you think that the European Union plays a positive role, a negative role or neither positive nor negative role? 1. Fighting crime. 2. The economic situation. 3. Rising prices\inflation. 4. Fighting unemployment. 5. Immigration. 6. Protecting the environment. 7. Healthcare system. 8. The fight against climate change. 9. Research. 10. Consumer safety. 11. Agriculture. 12. Energy supply. 13. Food prices. 14. (OUR COUNTRY’S) role in the world. 15. (OUR COUNTRY’S) security. 64 In the latest survey 7 new issues were included. 65 See Part I, Chapter 2 of this report.


116

QA15 For each of the following issues in (OUR COUNTRY), do you think that the EU plays...?

% EU

51%

51%

48%

44%

42%

42%

39%

38%

36%

33%

28%

26%

24%

22%

21%

23%

23%

26%

28%

30%

27%

27%

35%

28%

23%

26%

40%

33%

28%

29%

18%

11%

16%

19%

18%

19%

22%

18%

27%

33%

36%

24%

35%

41%

41%

8%

15%

10%

9%

10%

12%

12%

9%

9%

11%

10%

10%

8%

9%

9%


Research

The fight against climate change

(OUR COUNTRY)'s security

(OUR COUNTRY)'s role in the world

Consumer safety

Energy supply

Fighting crime


Agriculture

Immigration

Healthcare system

Fighting unemployment

Food prices


A positive role Neither positive nor negative role A negative role DK

We next examine in more detail the answers concerning the role of the European

Union in the three areas where public opinion is impacted by the economic crisis:

the national economic situation, unemployment and inflation.

For each of the following issues in (OUR COUNTRY), do you think that the EU plays...? % EU

36%

39%

0

24%

25%

0

21%

21%

28%

29%

0

33%

40%

0

29%

31%

27%

20%

0

35%

24%

0

41%

36%

9%

12%

11%

9%

12%

8%


EB71.1 Jan-Feb.2009

EB68 Aut.2007

Fighting unemployment

EB71.1 Jan-Feb.2009

EB68 Aut.2007


EB71.1 Jan-Feb.2009

EB68 Aut.2007

A positive role Neither positive nor negative role A negative role DK

In the midst of the economic crisis, the verdict given by Europeans on the

EU’s role is much more critical than it was prior to the global economic

%EU27

%EU27


117

downturn. In spring 2007, only 20% of Europeans felt that in terms of the

economic situation, the role played by the European Union in their country was

negative (compared to 27% now). 24% took this stance about fighting

unemployment (now 35%) and 36% felt this way about inflation (now 41%).

An analysis of the country-by-country results with regard to the economic

situation reveals that in six Member States an outright majority of citizens believe

that the European Union plays a positive role in their country: Estonia (56%),

Slovakia (54%), Lithuania (53%), the Netherlands (51%) and Denmark and Poland

(50% each). In a further twelve countries a relative majority of Europeans give a

positive verdict on the EU’s role in the economic situation in their country, ranging

from 35% of the Irish and Austrians to 49% of Belgians. In Cyprus there are only

slightly more people giving a positive verdict than there are people who feel that

the EU plays a negative role (37% vs. 35%). In the Czech Republic, close to four

out of ten citizens think that the EU plays a positive role, but an equal proportion

gives a neutral verdict (37% each). In Bulgaria the outcome is similar (35% each).

Public opinion is also strongly divided in Hungary (32% vs. 31%). Finally, there are

four countries where a relative majority feel that the EU plays a negative role:

Latvia and Greece (40% each) and the UK and Portugal (39% each).

In 5 countries, the proportion of respondents who consider that the EU plays a

negative role in their country regarding the economic situation has risen by 10

percentage points or more. These countries are Ireland (+15 points), the UK (+12

points), Spain and Austria (+11 each), and Bulgaria (+10),


118

When it comes to fighting unemployment, the preoccupation of Europeans is

such that there is currently no Member State where an outright majority feel that

the European Union plays a positive role in this regard. The most common opinion

is that the role of the EU is neither positive nor negative, a position that is most

emphatically expressed in Denmark and Bulgaria (44% each). There are only three

countries where a relative majority feel that the EU plays a positive role: Poland

(44%), Estonia (40%) and Lithuania (34%), while in Luxembourg public opinion is

divided between positive and negative views (33% vs. 34%). In ten countries the

majority view is that the European Union plays a negative role; a view that is

expressed by an outright majority of citizens in Cyprus (54%) and close to half of

citizens in the UK (49%) and Portugal (48%).


119

The dramatic concern about unemployment noted throughout this survey is clear

here, with considerable growth at national level of the feeling that the EU plays a

negative role in the fight against unemployment. The most spectacular increases

can be observed in Latvia (+21 percentage points since Spring 2007), the UK

(+18), Belgium (+17), Cyprus (+16), and Ireland (+15). This negative perception

has increased in all 27 Member States.


120

Finally, with regard to rising prices and inflation, the national results produce a

predominantly negative verdict on the role played by the European Union: in 23 of

the 27 Member States, the majority view is that the EU plays a negative role. This

is the view of an outright majority of citizens in Latvia (59%), Cyprus (55%),

Portugal (54%), Greece (53%) and Luxembourg (51%) and expressed by at least a

third of citizens in all other countries except Sweden, Denmark and the

Netherlands. In these three countries a relative majority of citizens (37%, 35% and

38% respectively) consider the role of the European Union to be neither positive

nor negative.

In terms of the evolution since spring 2007, the picture – generally negative - is

more balanced than for the economic situation. A significant rise in negative

perceptions of the EU’s role was recorded in the UK (+17 percentage points),

Finland (+12), Malta (+11), France, Ireland and Poland (+10 points); but

conversely, the view of the situation has improved in Slovakia (-13) and in

Lithuania (-11).


121

Autumn January

-FebruaryChange

2007 2009 (% points)(EB68) (EB71.1)

EU27 36% 41% +5%United Kingdom 30% 47% +17%

Finland 35% 47% +12%Malta 33% 44% +11%

Poland 30% 40% +10%France 38% 48% +10%Ireland 34% 44% +10%

Denmark 19% 28% +9%Romania 27% 36% +9%Portugal 46% 54% +8%Bulgaria 34% 41% +7%Latvia 53% 59% +6%

Hungary 41% 46% +5%Sweden 24% 29% +5%Spain 34% 37% +3%

Belgium 45% 47% +2%Germany 40% 41% +1

The Netherlands 29% 28% -1%Cyprus 56% 55% -1%

Slovenia 47% 45% -2%Greece 55% 53% -2%Italy 38% 36% -2%

Czech Republic 43% 40% -3%Luxembourg 55% 51% -4%

Estonia 44% 39% -5%Austria 54% 49% -5%

Lithuania 50% 39% -11%Slovakia 49% 36% -13%

And for each of the following issues in (OUR COUNTRY), do you think that the European Union plays a positive role, a

negative role or neither positive nor negative role?

Rising prices/ Inflation Negative role


122

3.2 Important aspects for strengthening the EU in the future

- Focus should be on economic affairs -

In light of the current economic crisis, it is not surprising that Europeans most

want the European institutions to emphasise economic affairs (40%) in

order to strengthen the European Union in the future66. Social and health issues are

mentioned next (27%), followed by the fight against crime (24%), immigration and

energy issues (23% each).

QA16 In your opinion, which aspects should be emphasized by the European institutions in the coming years, to strengthen the

European Union in the future? (ROTATE – MAX. 3 ANSWERS) - % EU

40%

27%

24%

23%

23%

17%

17%

16%

13%

11%

11%

10%

10%

7%

4%

3%

1%

1%

Economic affairs

Social and health issues

The fight against crime

Immigration issues

Energy issues

Environment issues


Solidarity with poorer regions

The Internal market

European foreign policy

European education policy

Scientific research

Transport and energy infrastructure

European defence policy

Cultural policy

None (SP.)

Others (SP.)

DK

The national analyses reveal that in two-thirds of the Member States, Europeans

most want the European institutions to emphasise “economic affairs” in the

coming years to strengthen the European Union in the future. This result further

highlights the depth of concern about the current economic situation among

Europeans. The sentiment is most emphatically expressed in Latvia (64%),

Lithuania (61%)67 and Spain (60%)68. Conversely, in Romania (16%) and

Luxembourg (19%) less than one citizen in five believes the European institutions

should emphasize this aspect.

66 In the latest survey 7 new issues were included. 67 Readers are reminded that the perceived economic situation is among the most pessimistic in these two countries (See Chapter 2, Part II). 68 Spain currently has the highest unemployment rate in the EU (14.8% in January 2009).

%EU27


123


124

Outside this leading aspect, we see several country-specific features:

♦ Social and health issues should be the primary emphasis of the

European institutions according to Bulgarians (42%) and Romanians

(37%) although this item is equally often mentioned – though not top

of the list – in a number of other Eastern European countries: Latvia

and Slovenia (42% each), the Czech Republic and Estonia (40% each)

and Slovakia (38%).

♦ The fight against crime tops the list in Denmark (37%) but the

Portuguese (38%) mention it even more often as the aspect that

should be emphasised in order to strengthen the European Union in the

future.

♦ Immigration is not only the top concern within Malta69, it is also seen

as the aspect which Maltese want the European institutions to

emphasise most (58%). This issue also tops the list in the UK (42%).

♦ Energy issues top the list in Slovakia (46%), Bulgaria (42%) and

Finland (33%). They also receive widespread mention in Lithuania

(41%) and Malta (40%).

♦ Environmental issues top the list in Sweden (51%), as the Swedish

confirm their heightened awareness of environmental issues. Though

mentioned half as often, this is also identified as the aspect the

European institutions should emphasise in Luxembourg (26%).

Furthermore, over a third of Danes (35%) believe the European

institutions should emphasise the environment in order to strengthen

the European Union in the future.

The following table shows the national results. Figures in bold highlight the most

frequently selected aspect per country, figures in boxes in highlight the highest

recorded percentage per aspect and figures in italics highlight the lowest recorded

percentage per aspect.

69 Part I, chapter 2 – most important national concerns.

SP

EC

IAL E

UR

OB

AR

OM

ET

ER

30

8

T

HE E

UR

OP

EA

NS

IN

200

9

1

25

Economic affairs

Social and health issues

The fight against crime

Immigration issues

Energy issues

Environmental issues


Solidarity with poorer regions

The Internal market

European foreign policy

European education policy

Scientific research

Transport and energy

infrastructure

European defence policy

Cultural policy

EU

27

40

%2

7%

24

%2

3%

23

%1

7%

17

%1

6%

13

%1

1%

11

%1

0%

10

%7

%4

%

BE

35

%26%

28%

26%

27%

18%

23%

18%

12%

11%

9%

15%

12%

5%

4%

BG

37%

42

%31%

7%

42

%8%

6%

18%

20%

16%

5%

6%

6%

7%

4%

CZ

52

%40%

26%

14%

30%

17%

10%

11%

15%

9%

8%

9%

10%

7%

2%

DK

24%

23%

37

%30%

17%

35%

33%

18%

7%

15%

7%

15%

7%

8%

3%

DE

36

%29%

28%

21%

30%

18%

27%

11%

10%

14%

19%

11%

13%

7%

3%

EE

56

%40%

23%

9%

24%

16%

8%

9%

13%

15%

10%

8%

11%

15%

2%

EL

43

%26%

20%

16%

16%

27%

13%

36%

26%

14%

14%

8%

6%

7%

4%

ES

60

%24%

19%

30%

10%

9%

11%

19%

9%

5%

10%

10%

7%

4%

6%

FR3

5%

34%

16%

22%

16%

20%

20%

28%

14%

12%

16%

17%

10%

8%

4%

IE4

0%

33%

24%

22%

27%

18%

13%

7%

17%

8%

14%

8%

9%

5%

6%

IT4

3%

17%

27%

34%

18%

11%

9%

10%

17%

13%

6%

13%

8%

8%

8%

CY

35

%32%

34%

28%

11%

22%

15%

30%

18%

17%

16%

5%

3%

9%

4%

LV6

4%

42%

27%

7%

13%

7%

6%

15%

29%

6%

13%

6%

4%

6%

4%

LT6

1%

32%

22%

7%

41%

5%

5%

7%

19%

14%

9%

5%

10%

8%

4%

LU19%

23%

17%

23%

25%

26

%23%

21%

16%

19%

19%

10%

12%

7%

3%

HU

54

%32%

17%

6%

46%

15%

14%

12%

22%

7%

6%

7%

10%

6%

3%

MT

20%

20%

5%

58

%40%

21%

16%

7%

10%

2%

11%

4%

16%

3%

2%

NL

36

%26%

34%

15%

16%

22%

28%

19%

10%

18%

15%

10%

17%

8%

4%

AT

38

%35%

29%

27%

30%

25%

26%

11%

7%

9%

8%

9%

10%

7%

4%

PL

43

%28%

18%

8%

30%

12%

10%

18%

14%

13%

7%

8%

10%

8%

2%

PT

48

%31%

38%

8%

7%

10%

7%

21%

11%

5%

10%

4%

3%

6%

5%

RO

16%

37

%17%

11%

18%

21%

11%

23%

19%

15%

21%

7%

9%

15%

6%

SI

51

%42%

20%

6%

18%

21%

22%

18%

17%

11%

9%

8%

11%

5%

3%

SK

41%

38%

16%

6%

46

%19%

9%

17%

24%

16%

11%

8%

14%

10%

3%

FI21%

20%

16%

20%

33

%25%

20%

23%

10%

23%

8%

6%

7%

16%

27%

SE

26%

18%

28%

20%

29%

51

%36%

18%

11%

14%

5%

12%

10%

8%

2%

UK

35%

21%

30%

42

%25%

16%

15%

8%

6%

7%

5%

6%

10%

7%

3%

QA

16

. E

uro

pean

in

teg

rati

on

has

been

fo

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ng

on

vari

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s is

sues

in t

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. In

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ich

asp

ect

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hasi

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by t

he

Eu

rop

ean

in

sti

tuti

on

s in

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om

ing

years

, to

str

en

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th

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uro

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Un

ion

in

th

e f

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re?

Hig

hest

perc

en

tag

e b

y c

ou

ntr

yH

ighest

perc

enta

ge b

y ite

m

Low

est

perc

enta

ge b

y c

ountr

yLo

west

perc

enta

ge b

y ite

m


126

3.3 The life of future generations This Eurobarometer survey has been carried out during economic times that for

many Europeans, particularly in the younger generations, have never been so

harsh. Having analysed public opinion about the European Union in the context of

the current economic climate throughout this report, we end this chapter with an

examination of what Europeans believe lies ahead for future generations70.

- Life will be more difficult -

The “feel-bad” factor experienced by Europeans at present is evident from the

latest results: nearly two out of three respondents are of the view that life

for future generations will be more difficult than the life of their own

generation (64%). Only just over one European in ten believes life will be easier

(13%); around one European in five thinks it will be neither easier nor more

difficult (19%).

Whilst these results are mostly impacted by the current economic climate, we see

some variations in opinions which reflect respondents’ age and education. As such,

the youngest respondents more often believe - or hope - that life for future

generations will be easier than older Europeans do (18% vs. 12% of Europeans

aged 40-59). Although the majority view of all Europeans, irrespective of their

gender, age, education or occupation, is that life will get more difficult, Europeans

who are still studying are least often pessimistic about life for future generations

(50% vs. 68% of Europeans who left school aged 15 or younger).

We also observe significant differences regarding attitudes towards the EU: while

57% of the interviewees who have a positive image of the EU believe that the next

generation’s lives will be more difficult, this proportion rises to 67% of those who

have a neutral image, and 75% of those who have a negative image of the EU, who

are much more pessimistic.

Special Eurobarometer 308 THE EUROPEANS IN 2009

127

Easier Neither easier

nor more difficult

More difficult

EU27 13% 19% 64%SexMale 15% 20% 61%

Female 12% 18% 66%

Age15-24 18% 22% 55%25-39 13% 22% 61%40-54 12% 18% 67%55 + 13% 16% 67%Education (End of)15- 13% 15% 68%16-19 12% 18% 66%20+ 14% 21% 62%Still studying 19% 25% 50%Respondent occupation scaleSelf-employed 12% 23% 61%Managers 13% 23% 62%Other white collars 11% 21% 64%Manual workers 12% 19% 65%House persons 12% 18% 66%Unemployed 13% 18% 66%Retired 14% 15% 67%Students 19% 25% 50%Image of EUPositive 17% 22% 57%Neutral 11% 19% 67%Negative 9% 13% 75%

QA14 Generally speaking, do you think that the life of those who are children today will be easier, more difficult or neither easier nor more difficult than the

life of those from your own generation?

The national results show that in all 27 Member States and in the three candidate

countries, the majority of Europeans believe that life for future generations will be

more difficult. This grim outlook is most outspokenly expressed in France and

Greece, where over eight out of ten citizens believe life will be more difficult (82%

and 81%, respectively), with nearly as many citizens in Malta (79%) and

Luxembourg (78%) sharing this view. Furthermore, in all but seven other Member

States, the negative outlook is held by an outright majority of Europeans. The

survey shows that citizens in Lithuania, Finland and Portugal are most optimistic

about the life of future generations, even if in all three countries this is the view of

just over a third of respondents (34% each).

70 QA14 Generally speaking, do you think that the life of those who are children today will be easier, more difficult or neither easier nor more difficult than the life of those from your own generation?


128

The evolution since the previous waves shows that the results in Latvia – in line

with the results observed in the rest of the survey – and in the two most recent

Member States, Bulgaria and Romania, are the most striking: the index (the

difference between those who think that the lives of today’s children will be easier

than those of their own generation, and those who think that they will be more

difficult) has dropped from 19 points in Latvia, 18 points in Romania, and 17 points

in Bulgaria. Poles (-16 points), are also quite pessimistic in this respect.

Among the three candidate countries, citizens in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia are most optimistic (31%), whereas an outright majority of citizens in

Turkey (61%) and Macedonia (55%) believe that life will be more difficult for future

generations.


129

4. INFORMATION AND MEDIA

In this final chapter we briefly examine how Europeans perceive their information

media, and more precisely, which medium they trust the most, and which they

prefer as a source of information about politics and political matters.

4.1 Trust in information media

- Traditional media still most widely trusted -

The traditional information media - television, newspapers and radio -

continue to be more widely trusted by Europeans than the Internet71.

Television is still the most widely trusted medium. Over two out of five Europeans

regard it as their most trusted source of media information (42%) and close to a

quarter consider television to be their second most trusted source (24%). In total

then, nearly two thirds of Europeans (63%) choose the television as their first or

second most trusted information medium. Newspapers come in second place in

terms of most widely trusted media (43%) with radio in third place (31%). The

Internet is trusted by just over one European in five (22%). Written magazines are

the least widely trusted information medium (8%). There is also a substantial

minority of Europeans who do not trust the information media: 16% of respondents

spontaneously said that they trusted none of the sources included in the survey.

QA23T Which are the 2 information media you trust the most? - % EU

63%

43%

31%

22%

8%

16%

2%

1%

Television

Newspapers

Radio

The Internet

Written magazines

Other (SP.)

None (SP.)

DK

71 QA23 From the following list, which is the information media you trust the most? A. Firstly? B. Secondly? 1. Newspapers. 2. Written magazines. 3. Television. 4. Radio. 5. The Internet. 6. Other (SPONTANEOUS). 7. NONE (SPONTANEOUS.

%EU27


130

The national results show that television is the most widely trusted source in 24 of

the 27 Member States and in all three candidate countries, with the highest

proportions registered in Cyprus (81%), Romania and the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia (80% each). France is the only country where fewer than

half of the citizens selected television as their first or second most trusted

information medium (48%).

Newspapers top the list of most trusted information media in Luxembourg, the

Netherlands (62% each) and France (52%). These three countries are also the only

ones where TV is not the medium which respondents trust the most. Trust in

newspapers is even more widespread in Finland (69%) where this medium comes

in second place after television (75%). Conversely, only just over a quarter of

Latvians select newspapers as their first or second most trusted information

medium (27%).

Radio is a widely trusted information media in Sweden (55%) and Ireland (50%)

whereas in Turkey (11%) and Italy (14%) very few citizens consider it either their

first or second most trusted information medium.

Around a third of respondents in Estonia, Malta (34% each) and the Czech Republic

(33%) selected the Internet as their first or second most trusted source,

compared to only around one Portuguese respondent in ten (9%). The survey

records the highest scores for the Internet in the newer Member States - Estonia

and Malta (34% each), Czech Republic (33%) and Latvia (32%), while the lowest

are observed in the EU15 (Portugal (9%), Sweden and Finland (17% each), Spain

and Greece (18% each). There are also differences between the Nordic countries:

trust is high in Denmark (29%) and quite low in Sweden and Finland (17% each).

Written magazines were selected as the first or second most trusted information

media by less than one out of five citizens, with the highest proportion recorded in

Italy (15%).

Finally it should be noted that around a quarter of Greek (28%), Portuguese (27%)

and Hungarian (25%) respondents do not trust any of the five information

media measured by the survey.


131

The following table shows the national results. Figures in bold highlight the

information medium that is the (first or second) most trusted in each country,

figures in boxes highlight the highest recorded percentage in each country per

information medium and figures in italics highlight the lowest recorded percentage

per information medium.

From the following list, which is the information media you trust the most?

Television Newspapers Radio

The Internet

Written magazines

None

EU27 63% 43% 31% 22% 8% 16%

BE 67% 45% 38% 19% 10% 7%

BG 79% 34% 22% 20% 1% 18%

CZ 68% 42% 25% 33% 7% 13%

DK 66% 49% 39% 29% 3% 3%

DE 65% 53% 29% 22% 10% 11%

EE 72% 29% 39% 34% 4% 7%

EL 65% 44% 28% 18% 5% 28%

ES 60% 44% 38% 18% 5% 19%

FR 48% 52% 40% 19% 8% 16%

IE 55% 42% 50% 19% 3% 20%

IT 60% 43% 14% 24% 15% 21%

CY 81% 49% 26% 22% 2% 12%

LV 70% 27% 34% 32% 3% 17%

LT 67% 36% 29% 27% 3% 17%

LU 54% 62% 42% 19% 7% 6%

HU 64% 31% 28% 20% 5% 25%

MT 69% 45% 22% 34% 5% 3%

NL 60% 62% 29% 25% 8% 7%

AT 68% 47% 23% 25% 12% 10%

PL 65% 28% 35% 26% 7% 15%

PT 76% 38% 21% 9% 6% 27%

RO 80% 31% 30% 19% 6% 14%

SI 67% 37% 26% 29% 3% 21%

SK 73% 35% 38% 27% 8% 7%

FI 75% 69% 32% 17% 3% 2%

SE 57% 48% 55% 17% 14% 2%

UK 64% 31% 37% 25% 2% 20%

HR 69% 39% 27% 20% 4% 19%

TR 66% 43% 11% 22% 3% 16%

MK 80% 40% 16% 27% 8% 2%

Highest result by

item

Highest result by country


132

Socio-demographically, we see some variations in the results, particularly in respect

of trust in the Internet. While overall, Europeans still express less trust in this

medium than in the traditional media, the opposite holds for young Europeans and

those who are still studying. Close to half of European students trust the Internet

most (48% vs. 7% of Europeans who left school aged 15 or younger) as do over

four out of ten young Europeans (42% of those aged 15-24 vs. 9% of Europeans

aged 55 and over). Overall, the survey shows that of the five information media

included in the survey, one third of Europeans with an Internet connection express

most trust in the Internet (33% vs. 8% of Europeans without an Internet

connection).

Television Newspapers Radio The

InternetWritten

magazinesOther (SP) None (SP) DK

EU27 63% 43% 31% 22% 8% 1% 16% 2%Age15-24 64% 40% 23% 42% 8% 1% 11% 1%25-39 60% 42% 30% 30% 8% 1% 14% 2%40-54 61% 45% 32% 20% 7% 1% 17% 2%55 + 66% 44% 36% 9% 8% 1% 18% 2%Education (End of)15- 72% 39% 34% 7% 7% 1% 21% 2%16-19 66% 41% 32% 21% 7% 1% 16% 1%20+ 51% 51% 33% 29% 9% 1% 12% 1%Still studying 59% 42% 22% 48% 7% 1% 9% 2%Respondent occupation scaleSelf-employed 56% 45% 31% 25% 8% 1% 17% 2%Managers 50% 51% 32% 33% 10% 1% 11% 1%Other white collars 59% 48% 27% 29% 9% 1% 12% 2%Manual workers 67% 40% 34% 21% 7% 1% 15% 1%House persons 71% 37% 32% 14% 6% 1% 22% 2%Unemployed 62% 37% 30% 23% 5% 1% 22% 1%Retired 68% 44% 35% 7% 7% 1% 19% 2%Students 59% 42% 22% 48% 7% 1% 9% 2%Internet connection at homeYes 57% 45% 30% 33% 8% 1% 13% 1%No 71% 41% 33% 8% 7% 1% 20% 2%

*SP = SPONTANEOUS

QA23T Which are the 2 information media you trust the most?


133

4.2 Preferred information media for political matters

- Television is the preferred information medium -

Regardless of the growth in the role played by the blogosphere in politics

nowadays, and the example given by the role played by the Internet during

the last presidential campaign in the USA, in Europe, the traditional

information media continue to be preferred to the Internet as a source of

information about politics and political matters72. The preferences of

Europeans closely mirror the pattern obtained for trust: television is the most

widely preferred medium, with over two out of five respondents choosing it as their

first preference (44%) and a quarter selecting it as the second (25%). Overall, over

two out of three Europeans (67%) regard television as the preferred means of

obtaining political information. The rank order of preferences is exactly the same as

for trust: newspapers come in second place (45%), followed by radio (29%), the

Internet (27%) and written magazines (8%). The proportion of Europeans who do

not prefer any of the five information media is slightly lower than the proportion

lacking trust (11% vs. 16%).

QA24T Which 2 means of getting information about political matters would you prefer ? - % EU

67%

45%

29%

27%

8%

11%

2%

1%

Television

Newspapers

Radio

The Internet

Written magazines

Other (SP.)

None (SP.)

DK

In 25 Member States and in the candidate countries, Europeans select television

as their preferred source of political information. Finland (54%) and Luxembourg

(56%) form the exceptions, with the lowest proportion of citizens who prefer

television. The highest percentages are noted in Bulgaria (84%), Cyprus and

Romania (83% each).

72 QA24 And more precisely, if you had to choose between the following means of getting information about politics and political matters, which would you prefer? A. Firstly? B. Secondly? 1. Newspapers. 2. Written magazines. 3. Television. 4. Radio. 5. The Internet. 6. Other (SPONTANEOUS). 7. NONE (SPONTANEOUS.

%EU27


134

In the two countries where television is not the preferred source – Finland and

Luxembourg - citizens prefer newspapers as a means of obtaining political

information (71% and 62%, respectively). However, newspapers are also a popular

source of information in the Netherlands (62%), Germany (56%), Cyprus (54%)

and France (53%). The consequence of the low trust in newspapers noted in Latvia

is that Latvians also least prefer them as source of information about politics or

political matters (27%).

In the countries where Radio is most widely trusted it also achieves the most

widespread preference: Ireland (50%) and Sweden (42%). The low trust levels

noted in Turkey and Italy are matched by similarly low preference levels (10% and

14%, respectively).

While citizens in Estonia, Malta and the Czech Republic most trust the Internet as

an information medium, citizens in Finland most prefer it as a source of information

about politics and political matters (46%). However, Estonia (41%) and Latvia

(38%) are not far behind. A similar level of preference is registered in the

Netherlands (41%). In the country where the Internet is least widely trusted it is

also least widely preferred: Portugal (10%).

The range of citizens who most prefer written magazines is low throughout the

European Union and the candidate countries, with the highest percentages recorded

in Italy and Austria (15% each).

In terms of the proportions of Europeans who prefer none of the information

media, the rank order of countries is similar to that noted for trust: Portuguese

respondents most often reject the media (27%), followed by Greeks and

Hungarians (22% each).


135

And more precisely, if you had to choose between the following means of getting information about politics and political matters, which would you prefer?

Television Newspapers Radio Internet

Written magazines

None

EU27 67% 45% 29% 27% 8% 11%

BE 62% 48% 27% 36% 14% 4%

BG 84% 37% 24% 20% 2% 12%

CZ 72% 48% 22% 35% 8% 8%

DK 67% 48% 29% 38% 5% 3%

DE 71% 56% 24% 29% 10% 5%

EE 71% 32% 36% 41% 3% 4%

EL 72% 47% 29% 18% 5% 22%

ES 60% 42% 37% 19% 5% 19%

FR 55% 53% 37% 28% 10% 10%

IE 62% 46% 50% 22% 5% 7%

IT 66% 46% 14% 27% 15% 15%

CY 83% 54% 26% 17% 1% 11%

LV 75% 29% 33% 38% 3% 11%

LT 69% 40% 30% 31% 3% 10%

LU 56% 62% 37% 25% 8% 5%

HU 67% 34% 29% 20% 6% 22%

MT 70% 48% 24% 30% 4% 6%

NL 63% 62% 22% 41% 7% 2%

AT 70% 47% 22% 26% 15% 8%

PL 67% 31% 36% 26% 7% 12%

PT 76% 37% 22% 10% 6% 26%

RO 83% 30% 32% 17% 6% 11%

SI 67% 37% 27% 32% 4% 17%

SK 73% 37% 38% 29% 9% 4%

FI 54% 71% 16% 46% 4% 4%

SE 62% 49% 42% 32% 10% 1%

UK 68% 39% 34% 33% 2% 12%

HR 75% 41% 29% 23% 4% 12%

TR 67% 44% 10% 21% 3% 15%

MK 78% 41% 17% 24% 8% 7%

Highest result by

item

Highest result by country


136

Finally, the socio-demographic analyses once again point to a strong generational

effect. Over half of European students select the Internet as their preferred

information medium for political matters (54% vs. 9% of Europeans who left school

aged 15 or younger) as do close to half of the youngest Europeans (48% of those

aged 15-24 vs. 11% of Europeans aged 55 and over). Focusing briefly on the group

of Europeans with an Internet connection at home, we see that four out of ten

select the Internet as their preferred media source (41%), compared to less than

one European in ten without an Internet connection (9%).

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138

CONCLUSION This survey was carried out in from 16 January to 22 February 2009, at a time

when European public opinion was engulfed by an economic crisis which is having

an impact of historical proportions on Europeans:

♦ Since the onset of the economic crisis the normally very stable

“life satisfaction” indicator has become more variable: close to a

quarter of Europeans now do not feel satisfied with their life, which is the

worst result since spring 1995. There are now more Europeans who

report feeling not very satisfied than there are Europeans who report

feeling very satisfied.

♦ Europeans seem to be more and more directly affected by the

economic crisis: personal concerns about the economic situation and

unemployment intensified while worries about inflation dropped sharply,

even if this concern still ranks first.

♦ The economic crisis appears to be widening the economic gap

that divides Northern and Western Europe from Southern and

Eastern Europe: concerns about purchasing power, difficulties to make

ends meet at the end of the month and the perceived risk of poverty

increased most in some of the Eastern and Southern European Member

States.

♦ Nearly all Europeans gave a negative evaluation of the economic

situation: around eight out of ten at present rate their employment and

economic situation as bad. This highlights the intensity of the

current crisis.

.

♦ The expectation of Europeans was that they have not yet seen

the worst of the economic crisis: more than half of EU citizens

believed the employment and economic situation in their country would

deteriorate in the coming twelve months and close to half felt this way

about the world economy and the European economy.


139

♦ This “feel-bad” factor was perhaps most evident from the finding that

nearly two out of three Europeans thought that life for the future

generations would be more difficult than the life of their own generation.

In the context of this negative economic climate, the main developments in

European public opinion at the beginning of 2009 were as follows:

♦ Support for EU membership remained stable. An outright majority

of Europeans continued to believe that their country’s membership of the

EU was a good thing and they remained convinced that their country had

benefited from being a member of the Union. Trust in the EU was also

intact, and trust in the national governments increased slightly as if,

unlike during other moments of crisis, citizens were looking to

government for help rather than the often noted tendency to lose trust.

♦ Yet the trend towards a more reserved image of the European

Union continued to come to the fore: even though a small majority

still had a positive image, the share of Europeans with a neutral image

increased for the second consecutive time.

♦ Trust in the European institutions had declined: a strong drop in

confidence in the European Parliament is noted. Even if a relative

majority of Europeans trusted the European Commission, for this

institution a considerable drop in trust had also occurred since autumn

2008. For the first time in the history of this indicator, Europeans who

distrusted the European Central Bank outnumbered those who trusted it,

an outcome that needs to be interpreted in the context of the economic

crisis.

♦ While a majority of Europeans believed that the European Union played a

positive role in nine of the fifteen policy areas included in the survey, the

verdict of the EU’s role in economic issues was more critical than

it was prior to the global economic downturn. Close to a quarter of

Europeans felt that the EU’s role in the national economy was negative,

over a third held this view when it came to fighting unemployment and

over two out of five Europeans gave a negative verdict about the EU’s

role in fighting rising prices and inflation.

♦ This critical stance was very much a call for action as Europeans mostly

wanted the European institutions to emphasise economic affairs in

the coming years in order to strengthen the European Union.


140

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS


141

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER N°308

“The Europeans in 2009” Between the 16th of January and the 22nd of February 2009, TNS Opinion & Social, a consortium created between Taylor Nelson Sofres and EOS Gallup Europe, carried out wave 71.1 of the EUROBAROMETER, on request of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Directorate-General for Communication, “Research and Political Analysis”. The SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER N°308 is part of wave 71.1 and covers the population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the Member States and aged 15 years and over. The SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER N°308 has also been conducted in the three candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and in the Turkish Cypriot Community. In these countries, the survey covers the national population of citizens and the population of citizens of all the European Union Member States that are residents in these countries and have a sufficient command of the national languages to answer the questionnaire. The basic sample design applied in all states is a multi-stage, random (probability) one. In each country, a number of sampling points was drawn with probability proportional to population size (for a total coverage of the country) and to population density. In order to do so, the sampling points were drawn systematically from each of the "administrative regional units", after stratification by individual unit and type of area. They thus represent the whole territory of the countries surveyed according to the EUROSTAT NUTS II (or equivalent) and according to the distribution of the resident population of the respective nationalities in terms of metropolitan, urban and rural areas. In each of the selected sampling points, a starting address was drawn, at random. Further addresses (every Nth address) were selected by standard "random route" procedures, from the initial address. In each household, the respondent was drawn, at random (following the "closest birthday rule"). All interviews were conducted face-to-face in people's homes and in the appropriate national language. As far as the data capture is concerned, CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) was used in those countries where this technique was available.


142

ABBREVIATIONS COUNTRIES INSTITUTES N° INTERVIEWS

FIELDWORK DATES

POPULATION 15+

BE Belgium TNS Dimarso 1.018 22/01/2009 22/02/2009 8.786.805 BG Bulgaria TNS BBSS 1.000 16/01/2009 30/01/2009 6.647.375 CZ Czech Rep. TNS Aisa 1.050 22/01/2009 12/02/2009 8.571.710 DK Denmark TNS Gallup DK 1.016 19/01/2009 18/02/2009 4.432.931 DE Germany TNS Infratest 1.523 17/01/2009 10/02/2009 64.546.096 EE Estonia Emor 1.003 17/01/2009 09/02/2009 887.094 EL Greece TNS ICAP 1.000 21/01/2009 12/02/2009 8.691.304 ES Spain TNS Demoscopia 1.003 20/01/2009 13/02/2009 38.536.844 FR France TNS Sofres 1.035 17/01/2009 11/02/2009 46.425.653 IE Ireland TNS MRBI 1.000 20/01/2009 12/02/2009 3.375.399 IT Italy TNS Infratest 1.060 21/01/2009 06/02/2009 48.892.559 CY Rep. of Cyprus Synovate 504 21/01/2009 15/02/2009 638.900

CY(tcc) Turkish Cypriot Comm.

KADEM 500 24/01/2009 11/02/2009 143.226

LV Latvia TNS Latvia 1.001 23/01/2009 11/02/2009 1.444.884 LT Lithuania TNS Gallup Lithuania 1.010 22/01/2009 03/02/2009 2.846.756 LU Luxembourg TNS ILReS 504 17/01/2009 13/02/2009 388.914 HU Hungary TNS Hungary 1.023 23/01/2009 13/02/2009 8.320.614 MT Malta MISCO 500 16/01/2009 12/02/2009 335.476 NL Netherlands TNS NIPO 1.044 24/01/2009 21/02/2009 13.017.690

AT Austria Österreichisches Gallup-Institut 1.000 16/01/2009 09/02/2009 7.004.205

PL Poland TNS OBOP 1.000 25/01/2009 17/02/2009 32.155.805 PT Portugal TNS EUROTESTE 1.000 26/01/2009 13/02/2009 8.080.915 RO Romania TNS CSOP 1.043 16/01/2009 12/02/2009 18.246.731 SI Slovenia RM PLUS 1.008 17/01/2009 13/02/2009 1.729.298 SK Slovakia TNS AISA SK 1.025 20/01/2009 13/02/2009 4.316.438 FI Finland TNS Gallup Oy 1.017 23/01/2009 17/02/2009 4.353.495 SE Sweden TNS GALLUP 1.017 22/01/2009 13/02/2009 7.562.263 UK United Kingdom TNS UK 1.314 22/01/2009 18/02/2009 50.519.877

EU27 27.218 16/01/2009 22/02/2009 400.899.257

HR Croatia Puls 1.000 18/01/2009 02/02/2009 3.734.300 TR Turkey TNS PIAR 1.005 17/01/2009 10/02/2009 47.583.830

MK Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia TNS Brima 1.009 17/01/2009 24/01/2009 1.648.012

TOTAL CC 3.014 17/01/2009 10/02/2009 52.966.142

TOTAL 30.232 16/01/2009 22/02/2009 453.865.399


143

For each country a comparison between the sample and the universe was carried out. The Universe description was derived from Eurostat population data or from national statistics offices. For all countries surveyed, a national weighting procedure, using marginal and intercellular weighting, was carried out based on this Universe description. In all countries, gender, age, region and size of locality were introduced in the iteration procedure. For international weighting (i.e. EU averages), TNS Opinion & Social applies the official population figures as provided by EUROSTAT or national statistic offices. The total population figures for input in this post-weighting procedure are listed above.

Readers are reminded that survey results are estimations, the accuracy of which, everything being equal, rests upon the sample size and upon the observed percentage. With samples of about 1,000 interviews, the real percentages vary within the following confidence limits:

Observed percentages 10% or 90% 20% or 80% 30% or 70% 40% or 60% 50%

Confidence limits ± 1.9 points ± 2.5 points ± 2.7 points ± 3.0 points ± 3.1 points

Documents

The Europeans in 2009 - ec.europa.eu · Publication: July 2009 Special Eurobarometer 308 / Wave 71.1 – ... the EU: in January-February 2009, the Economic Sentiment Indicator has