Most EU citizens feel situation in their country ‘going in wrong direction’: Survey

BRUSSELS

The majority of European citizens think that “things are going in the wrong direction,” an EU-wide poll revealed on Tuesday.

With over 61% of the respondents, a “clear majority” of EU citizens believe that the situation in their own country “is heading in the wrong direction,” according to the results of the Spring Eurobarometer survey released by the European Parliament.

The feeling is particularly strong in Slovakia, Greece, and France, where 75%, 74%, and 73% of the respondents, respectively, agreed with the negative assessment.

The EU citizens also complained about the high costs of living.

Some 65% of the respondents said they are not satisfied with the measures taken by their national government, while 57% of them reported dissatis­faction with the EU's action against inflation.

A majority (52%) of EU citizens expect their country’s economic situation to worsen over the next year.

Uncertainty related to the ongoing crisis was the second-most frequently described emotion mentioned by 34% of the respondents.

However, with 37% of the responses, hope has become the most popular emotion, and the ratio of people worrying about the economic crisis has also dropped 8 percentage points compared to the results of the Winter Eurobarometer.

At the request of the European Parliament, the Eurobarometer poll is conducted in each of the 27 member states to monitor public opinion in the EU.