Support for the EU is growing. People say Europe should do more on security, migration
Europeans’ support for the European Union has increased since autumn 2016 as more people also feel attached to the EU, according to a new survey conducted days before the triggering of Article 50 in March. Still, people say Europe should do more to tackle issues like security, migration and unemployment.
According to the Eurobarometer survey carried out in March and commissioned by the European Parliament to get an idea of what people want, Europeans are more positive about the EU, with 56% of respondents saying that EU membership is a good thing, up four percentage points from September 2016. However, opinions vary widely between countries: only about a third of Czechs, Greeks, Italians and Croats share this opinion.
In addition 56% of respondents across the EU feel an attachment to the EU, up with five percentage points from November. However, more people feel an attachment to their city (87%), region (87%), or country (91%).
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Overall, half of Europeans think the EU is heading in the wrong direction, less than before, as last September 54% of respondents still felt this way. This might be because almost half of Europeans (47%) say they are not satisfied with how democracy works in the EU.
The survey also shows that more Europeans are interested in politics, as 57% expressed interest in EU affairs. The idea of a multi-speed Europe is also gaining popularity among Europeans, with close to 49% of respondents saying they support such an approach.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 27,901 Europeans.
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