European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
public opinion
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Protecting European consumers [Policy Podcast]
Consumer protection rules have been improving the rights of consumers in the European Union since the 1970s. Continue reading
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Promoting equality between women and men [Policy Podcast]
The European Union (EU) is committed to eliminating inequalities and promoting gender equality ‘in all its activities’ and has made considerable advances over the years. Continue reading
Public opinion and the EU budget – Who supports the EU budget?
This briefing analyses public opinion surveys related to the EU budget, in particular citizens’ preferences for greater EU financial means and their evaluation of the EU budget as ‘good’ or ‘poor’ value for money. Continue reading
Kremlin trolls in the US presidential election
Discussions about Kremlin interference in the 2016 US presidential election initially focused on Russian hackers and leaked e-mails. However, US Congress enquiries have highlighted the important role played by Russian social media activity in influencing public opinion. Continue reading
EPRS conference: New US administration increasingly professional, despite early blunders
Written by Marcin Grajewski, American society and politicians may be more polarised than ever, the new President, Donald Trump may be mercurial and unpopular, but the American economy looks poised for accelerated growth, the foundations of American foreign and defence policy are solid, and the new administration is becoming increasingly professional, according to analysts and … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on economic policy and taxation: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, Economic policy has recently been a matter of some concern to all European citizens, with the consequences of the economic crisis hitting hard. In order to test the public mood concerning economic policy and the fight against tax fraud, the European Parliament recently commissioned a Eurobarometer survey on EU action, including … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on industrial policy, energy supply and security: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, The European Parliament, the only directly elected EU institution, recently commissioned a Eurobarometer survey to gauge citizens’ attitudes to EU action in a range of policy fields, including industry, energy supply and energy security. Although industrial policy appears to be a low priority for citizens, ensuring a secure supply of energy … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on the environment, and agriculture: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, As over half of EU territory is rural, the vitality of the European countryside is a subject close to citizens’ hearts. The twin objectives of protecting the environment and promoting EU agriculture are thus high on the EU political agenda. A recent Eurobarometer survey demonstrates that citizens have a largely positive … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on social protection: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, Following the financial crisis, fears for the levels of social protection for EU citizens in the areas of health and social security, employment, and equality were at the forefront of much of the debate leading up to the recent United Kingdom EU referendum. Published in the wake of the British vote … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on migration and border management: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, EU action on migration and the subsequent pressures on the Schengen area of free movement is of great interest to European citizens. The European Parliament, the only directly elected EU institution, recently commissioned a Eurobarometer survey to find out how citizens perceived EU action on migration and border management. Identifying the … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU security: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, Security and the fight against terrorism have been headline news for many months now, with terrorist attacks on European soil bringing security policy to the forefront of EU citizens’ minds. A recent Eurobarometer survey looked at the perceptions and expectations of Europeans regarding EU action on security and defence matters, including … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU foreign policies: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, A recent Eurobarometer survey looked at the perceptions and expectations of Europeans regarding EU action, including the foreign policy, and global promotion of democracy and peace policy fields. The survey, commissioned for the only directly elected European Union institution, the European Parliament, identifies the gaps between citizens’ expectations and EU performance … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU policies: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson with Alina Dobreva and Eva-Maria Poptcheva, Public opinion is key in any representative democracy, and none more so than the only directly elected European Union institution, the European Parliament. Commissioned for the European Parliament, and published shortly after the United Kingdom referendum vote to leave the European Union, a special Eurobarometer … Continue reading
Public opinion in Europe: EPRS roundtable discussion
Written by Alina Dobreva What do citizens want from the European Union, now and in the future? On 4 June, EPRS organised a roundtable discussion of the data published in two of the most respected, and quoted, public opinion studies on attitudes to the EU, namely the Eurobarometer and the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes and … Continue reading
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