Europeans Like the EU, But Mixed About Brussels

Europe these days is a troubled continent. From nationalist movements in the Central and the Eastern part of the continent to Brexit approaching its March 29 deadline, an increasing number of people around the world worry about the experiment of European unity called the European Union, and whether more EU member countries will prefer to separate from the union.

Yet a new study released on Tuesday by the bipartisan Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, shows that Europeans are generally positive about the EU, with more than 60 percent of those surveyed by Pew saying they viewed the bloc favorably.

The research included respondents in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Sweden, Italy, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Greece. The most optimistic about the European bloc are the Poles, with more than 70 percent of people in the country expressing favorable views about the EU. More than 60 percent of respondents in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Sweden expressed the same attitude, with Italy and Hungary reporting similar figures.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, only 48 percent of people in the United Kingdom say they view the EU favorably, and only 37 percent of Greeks share the same perspective.

The European Parliament is not seen as favorably across the continent, with only 50 percent of respondents having a positive view over this institution. Countries where a majority say they have a positive view of the European Parliament include Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Hungary.

Negative views are especially common among Europeans supporting right-wing populist parties, the survey showed. For example, more than 60 percent of Germans who view the right-wing Alternative for Germany favorably also express unfavorable views over the EU. Comparatively, only about 30 percent of those who view the party favorably rate the EU negatively.

Tuesday's report largely mirrors previous Pew surveys that have shown support across Europe for the EU, despite nationalist movements across the continent.

In the wake of Brexit, other studies have shown the issue of freedom of movement has caused similar varied reactions. Using data from four Eurobarometer survey conducted between 2015 and 2017, the London School of Economics and Political Science has looked at how supportive Europeans in the EU were of free movement.

Most favorable views were expressed by Latvians and Lithuanians, where 94 percent said they supported free movement. The two were followed closely by Estonia, Luxembourg, and Spain, where more than 90 percent of those surveyed expressed the same opinion.

On the opposite spectrum ranked the United Kingdom, where banning freedom of movement has been one of the pillars of the 'Leave' campaign in the Brexit referendum. Only 63 percent of Brits showed support for the freedom of movement, while 27 percent of respondents in the U.K. being against. Similar attitudes were registered in Austria and Denmark.