Agnes Szucs
22 June 2022•Update: 22 June 2022
BRUSSELS
Russia’s war on Ukraine has significantly strengthened support for European Union membership among the 27-member bloc’s population, a survey has revealed.
According to results of the European Parliament’s Spring Eurobarometer survey published on Wednesday, 65% of Europeans consider their country’s membership in the EU a good thing.
This is the highest level of approval for the EU in the overall population since 2007 when 58% stated the same.
Over 26,500 people from 27 EU member states participated in the survey, which was conducted between mid-April and mid-May.
Since the Winter Eurobarometer survey in December, support for the EU has grown the most in Lithuania, Malta, and Estonia by 20, 12, and 9 percentage points, respectively, it said.
According to the survey, this shift in public opinion is due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“With war returning to our continent, Europeans feel reassured to be part of the European Union,” said Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, welcoming the results.
The war has also reshaped Europeans’ perception of international actors, the document explained.
Only 10% of Europeans view Russia positively, compared to 30% in 2018.
China received the second-lowest level of support, with a 22% approval rate, shedding 14 percentage points from the previous inquiry.
On the contrary, public support for the US has grown by 13 percentage points, with 58% of respondents now seeing it positively.
Meanwhile, 61% of Europeans are skeptical that their lives will remain unchanged due to the war in Ukraine.
Four out of 10 people have already reported experiencing inflation, but 59% showed support for defending European values and democracy even if it comes at the price of deteriorating living standards.
