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EU support stable, but outlook bleak, finds Eurobarometer poll

What brings EU citizens together is more important than what separates them, say 71% of Europeans, while 53% believe that being an EU member is good for their country, according to Eurobarometer’s latest “Parlemeter” poll, commissioned by the European Parliament and published on Friday.

A majority of Europeans interviewed in the poll believes that being a member of the European Union is a good thing for their country (53%, -2 compared to 2015). The share of respondents who believe EU membership is a good thing for their country varies widely, from 74% in Ireland to only 31% in Greece.

Polls show that this EU support indicator has remained roughly stable since 2009, when it was also 53%.

As in 2015, 60% of respondents overall said their country benefits from being part of the Union. This percentage has also remained stable in “Parlemeter” surveys, from 56% in 2009, down to 52% in 2011 and up again up to 60% in the past two years.

In addition, according to 71% of respondents, there are more issues uniting Europeans than dividing them.

Elements of European identity

Among the elements of European identity, democracy and freedom remain key values for 50% of those interviewed, while the Euro declined significantly to 33% (down 6 points from 2015), particularly in the Eurozone. Nearly one in two Europeans feels that a harmonised social welfare system would reinforce their sense of being a European citizen (46%, +1).

More engagement needed?

Europeans feel that their voices count less and less, in particular at national level. Only 53% of respondents said that their voice is heard in their own country (-10 compared with 2015).

People do not have a positive view of the future, both in the EU, where 54% of respondents said “things are going in the wrong direction” (+13 compared with 2015), and in their own country (58%, +14 compared to 2015).

The European Parliament in the media

The European Parliament has a neutral image for 44% of Europeans (-2 compared to 2015), while 46% want it to play a more significant role (+2 compared to 2015). 60% of respondents said they had heard about the European Parliament in the media and only 32% considered themselves informed about its activities.

The full Eurobarometer survey can be consulted at this link.

Maps on key questions available here.

 

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