The rising cost of living is the most pressing worry for 93% of Europeans, finds the latest European Parliament Eurobarometer survey. Meanwhile, support for the EU remains stable at a high level and citizens expect the EU to continue working on solutions to reduce the effects of the consecutive crises.
In every EU member state, more than seven in ten respondents are worried about the rising cost of living, with peak results in Greece (100%), Cyprus (99%), Italy and Portugal (both 98%). The rising prices, including for energy and food, are felt across all sociodemographic categories such as gender or age, as well as all educational and socio-professional backgrounds.
The second most mentioned worry with 82% is the threat of poverty and social exclusion, followed by climate change and the spread of the war in Ukraine to other countries equal in third place with 81%. Almost half of the EU citizens (46%) say that their “standard of living has already been reduced”, with another 39% expecting an impact over the next year.
At the same time, recent crises and in particular Russia’s war against Ukraine are strengthening citizens’ support for the European Union: 62% see EU membership as a “good thing” which represents one of the highest results on record since 2007. Two thirds of European citizens (66%) consider their country’s EU membership important, and 72% believe that their country has benefited from being a member of the EU.
Europeans concerned by cost-of-living crisis, support for EU membership remains strong
The rising cost of living is the most pressing worry for 93% of Europeans, finds the latest European Parliament Eurobarometer survey. Meanwhile, support for the EU remains stable at a high level and citizens expect the EU to continue working on solutions to reduce the effects of the consecutive crises.
In every EU member state, more than seven in ten respondents are worried about the rising cost of living, with peak results in Greece (100%), Cyprus (99%), Italy and Portugal (both 98%). The rising prices, including for energy and food, are felt across all sociodemographic categories such as gender or age, as well as all educational and socio-professional backgrounds.
The second most mentioned worry with 82% is the threat of poverty and social exclusion, followed by climate change and the spread of the war in Ukraine to other countries equal in third place with 81%. Almost half of the EU citizens (46%) say that their “standard of living has already been reduced”, with another 39% expecting an impact over the next year.
At the same time, recent crises and in particular Russia’s aggression against Ukraine are strengthening citizens’ support for the European Union: 62% see EU membership as a “good thing” which represents one of the highest results on record since 2007. Two thirds of European citizens (66%) consider their country’s EU membership important, and 72% believe that their country has benefited from being a member of the EU.
