Major changes in European public opinion towards the EU since1973 - 2015 Edition

Estudo 05-02-2016

This desk research focusses on the major shifts in European public opinion towards the European Union since 1973, when Eurobarometer was created by Jacques-René Rabier. The results are presented in a timeline and illustrate the evolution of citizens' opinion in the key phases of the Union's institutional, political, economic and social development. This is the second edition of the 2014 Desk Research, updated with results of the 2015 Parlemeter. The main findings on the evolution of public opinion in the last 40 years  from 1973 to 2014  show that it has gone up and down, notably in response to financial, economic and social crises. The major institutional and political staging-posts in the EU's development have generally improved the perception of the EU. This is particularly true of enlargements and elections to the European Parliament. This analysis shows the overriding influence of the economic and social context on public opinion. This is very well illustrated by the financial and economic crisis which began in 2008, prompting a sharp decline in indicators of support for the EU. However, even in this context of crisis, results show that Europeans remain committed to Europe when it comes to basic EU values. FR Please click here for the full publication in PDF format