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euro-barometre
PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

No. 26 DECEMBER 1986

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

RUE DE LA LOI 200 1049 BRUSSELS
- -

EUROBAROMETER No. 26

PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

AUTUMN 1986

- The mood of Europeans: what they expect from 1987; fears of a new world
war; satisfaction w i t h 1i f e and feel i n g of happiness; satisfaction w i t h
the working of democracy.
-A people's Europe: the public's centres of interest; the feeling of
being a European citizen; the European flag; relations between western
European countries since the f i f t i e s ; r i g h t of residence and the r i g h t
t o vote ( i n local elections) for European citizens; the 'Tour de
1 'Avenir' European Comnunity cycle race.
- Attitudes towards Europe and the Community.
- The progress of the Comnunity and European unification.
- The European Parliament: i t s image, the importance of i t s current role,
hopes for i t s future role, contacts between citizens and their European
and n a t ional representati ves.

æ
'?
b
No 26 - December 1986
m
2
N
Commission of the European Communities
2 Rue de l a Loi 200 - 1049 Brussels
 PRELIMINARY NOTE

EUROBAROMETER PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ON

BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES EACH SPRING

AND AUTUMN SINCE SEPTEMBER 1973. THEY HAVE INCLUDED GREECE SINCE

AUTUMN 1980 AND HAVE NOW BEEN EXTENDED TO SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.

AN IDENTICAL SET OF QUESTIONS IS PUT TO REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES -

DIFFERENT EACH TIME - OF THE POPULATION AGED FIFTEEN AND OVER I N
EACH COUNTRY. T H I S SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT BY PROFESSIONAL INTER-
VIEWERS BETWEEN 30 SEPTEMBER AND 14 NOVEMBER 1986 I N THE HOMES OF
THE 11 837 SELECTED RESPONDENTS.

SPECIAL I S T ÑATIONAL INSTITUTES, ALL MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN

OMNIBUS SURVEY, WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING THE SURVEY. ALL

THESE INSTITUTES, WHICH WERE SELECTED BY TENDER, BELONG TO THE

. EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR OPINION AND MARKETING RESEARCH AND COMPLY

WITH I T S STANDARDS.

THE NAMES OF THE INSTITUTES AND FIELD-WORK SPECIALISTS I N EACH

COUNTRY ARE LISTED I N THE APPENDIX TOGETHER WITH THE RELEVANT

TECHNICAL DETAILS.
*
* *

I N ACCORDANCE WITH NORMAL PRACTICE FOR T H I S TYPE OF SURVEY THE

COMMISSION DISCLAIMS ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUESTIONS, RESULTS

AND COMMENTAR1ES.
 Pages

PREFACE
, -

I -
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

I. THE MOOD OF EUROPEANS

1.1 EXPECTATIONS FOR 1987 2

1.2 APPRAISAL OF CHANGES I N THE COUNTRY'S GENERAL

ECONOMIC SITUATION AND THE FINANCIAL SITUATION
OF THE HOUSEHOLDS 9

1.3 FEAR OF A THIRD WORLD WAR I N THE NEXT TEN YEARS 15

1.4 SATISFACTION WITH L I F E AND FEELING OF HAPPINESS 19
1.5 SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY DEMOCRACY WORKS 25

II. A PEOPLE'S EUROPE

11.1 THE PUBLIC'S AREAS OF INTEREST 34

11.2 FEELING OF BELONGING 42

11.3 THE EUROPEAN FLAG 44

II.4 RELATIONS BETWEEN WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
OVER THE LAST THIRTY YEARS 53
11.5 THE YIGHT OF RESIDENCE FOR COMMUNITY NATIONALS 54
11.6 VOTING RIGHTS FOR COMMUNITY CITIZENS I N LOCAL
ELECTIONS I N THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE 58
11.7 PORTUGALy SPAIN, FRANCE AND ITALY: "THE TOUR
DE L 'AVENIR" EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CYCLE RACE 62

III. ATTITUDES TOWARDS EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

111.1 INTEREST I N COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AND IMPORTANCE

ATTACHED TO THEM 69

111.2 FOR OR AGAINST WESTERN EUROPEAN UNIFICATION 80

 CONTENTS (Contd. )

Pa ge

III.
3 ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN COMMUTY' 85
111.3.1 Understanding between t h e countries
o f t h e Communi ty 85
111.3.2 Feeling t h a t one's country has o r has
n o t benefited from Community membership 88
111.3.3 General a t t i t u d e towards Comnunity
membersh ip 88
111.3.4 A t t i t u d e towards the scrapping of t h e
European Communi t y 96
111.4 ACTUAL AND DESIRED RATE OF PROGRESS OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND ËUROPEAN UNIFICATION 104

' IV.. -
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

IV.1 AWARENESS AND OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE

INSTITUTION 110

IV.2 IMPORTANCE ATTACHED T O PARLIAMENT'S ROLE

AND HOPES FOR ITS FUTURE 113

IV.3 CONTACT WITH A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

OR WITH A MEMBER OF A NATIONAL PARLIAMENT 118

ANN EX ES

With special questions asked i n Germany and t h e United Kingdom.

 PREFACE

The phenomenon which has been dubbed "Euro-pess9mism" i s on the wane:

t h a t i s t h e main conclusion t o be drawn from the l a t e s t Eurobarometer
survey conducted i n spring 1986. There has been a s i g n i f i c a n t improvement
i n most countries as regards both the mood o f Europeans measured i n the-
usual way through s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h l i f e and w i t h the working o f democracy
- and a t t i t u d e s towards Europe and t h e Community.
What a r e t h e reasons f o r t h i s development? I t i s e a s i e r t o observe
than t o explain, b u t there are probably a number o f f a c t o r s working
simultaneously i n t h e same d i r e c t i o n : a s l i g h t improvement i n the economic
s i t u a t i o n , as measured by the indices and h i g h l i g h t e d by the media; and a
series o f events i n v o l v i n g the Community which have generally a t t r a c t e d
favourable comment from press, radio and t e l e v i s i o n - these include t h e
accession o f Spain and Portugal on 1 January, t h e agreement o f governments
i n February t o what has been given t h e unfortunately r e s t r i c t i v e t i t l e o f
" the Single European Act", and the Danish referendum on 27 February.
A l l these events or, t o be more precise, the s i g n i f i c a n c e a t t r i b u t e d
t o them by t h e public, have helped improve both t h e mood o f Europeans and
t h e i r a t t i t u d e t o t h e Community between autumn 1985 and s p r i n g 1986. ml
t h i s l a s t ? It i s impossible t o say. But what i s c l e a r i s that, through-
o u t the Community, the p u b l i c i s ready t o respond t o European "messages"
which measure up t o i t s expectations and aspirations.

Carlo Ripa d i Meana

Me-mber o f t h e Commission
o f t h e European Communities
 7

7NTROPUCTZON AND SUMMARY

t h e end 06 I986 'twaLt and bee'' t h e watcho/td 0 6 a C o m m W y

public opinion fuu ltwned back on Emo-pessimbm ULCthout, how-
w h o t e h M e d e y cammidXing .itbet( t o Ewa-op-m.
The swrvey whose c o n c t u i o m a e seR: o u t h a e w u W e d o u t Ln t h e
6 i d . d i n t h e & u d v e counOÚe6 06 t h e Commun¿ty dwLing Octabeh and Novemba,
against a docio-poLi..tZcd backghaund whobe main deatwres doh Emopeans
w a e t h e AmAcan-Soviet &A i n Reykjavik and t h e lead-up t o it, U n g
which t h e s~cuhi/tyod w e 6 t u . n Ewrope w h c u ~ e dlui;thout E m p e
being conb&ed, a dact b & x d upon b y .the pkess, and t h e dcscu6sions on
t h e tratidication 06 whaX t h e e x p m and d í p t o m a b /reden. t o u $he
"SLngte
EwLopean A C P , a ke$o/on 06 t h e 6unc.tLoning 06 t h e CommunCty, wkich has
auakened modest expecZa.t¿on h dome and gkteat 6ervc in o a % m , wi.th0u.t
a e n gmup being pahapb entinety b u m wha*t & invatved.
A t a f i e duch a6 .thh .the pubLie, p " k y IthaX h e ~ o 06 n
which ~26es.t inbomed, & U n g and w o n d M g , h o v u h g b m e e n
Acep.tidm and hope.

1 . The mood 06 Ewtopeans. Tkib, we 4hat.t see, ha¿ Ceeahey hpkoved

d h c e the end 06 1985.

3 . A.#¿ahdes tawa/rds €mope and t h e Emopean CommuVLity. TkC6 chapten.

we6 daa2 c o u e c t e d dustmaaXca.U u dcnce 1973 I and even ea&& in c W
counthies 1 t o c W t h e a e n d o d &%.tudes & u m & .the u n i ~ i d o n06
Ewrope ( f i e i d e o h g i d and emo.CLod a6pec;t) and CommunLZy m e m b w k i p
-
I e n a s p e d ) . TkC6 ecfLtion &o hceUdes a numba 06 hpecibic
ques$Lons asked i n t h e U n t t e d Kingdom and i n G m a n y and ltwo exZtemety
g- Q U Q A . ~ ~ O V U , abked i n & .îwtve counRhie6, on how E w ~ o p e a n s
 I7

ubesb t h e cuht~evLttrate o$ p k o g k a 6 06 Xhe unL$ication o$ Euhope and ,the

Communi;ty, and w h t & o u 06 p k o g k u b they Luish t o bee made.
4 . The $.inal c h p t m c o n c m t h e Emopean P"nent. The kepUe¿
demons&a.te CeeatLey t h e ambivdence 06 a t t c l t u d e6 t o w & .the CommunCty and
its h a X t i . k i o ~ s : t h e Emopean Pa&hment, p&cLLealLey mound f i e mid-
p o i n t o$ .the leg.iblaX.ive p e h i o d , hm a Cow p h O $ d k ; L t b cwrtrevtt ho& &
not been u "vmy h p a ~ n t " ; h o w e v ~ ,mob2 o $ thobe quesltioned would
f i k e t o bee t h À indZLtuZ¿on - eikated by ;the people o$ Ewrope - p k k y a
make i m p o h a k n t trote i n t h e $uAuke.

I THE MOCV OF EUROPEANS

The coming y m . h A cubtom- a.t t h e end 06 t h e y a m , a m b m 06
q u e e d on t h e ouZtooh dok t h e coning yeatr. The genmal
.&end t o u w u h a k a m e n c e o$ opZimhm, d h . t kecokded 1Lt .the end o$ 1984,
A CoVLtinlLing and ga;thehing momentum. Thoughout t h e CommunCty, 36% o$
thobe ivutaviewed b a e v e thlLt 1987 uliee be f f b & a l r t h n 7956, and o n l y
19% $e& a k t .¿tW be ffwolt6e1f. lat yeah t h e $ i g w wme 32% and 24%
kcupec;tivet!y, compamd w i t h 29% and 30% at f i e end 08 1984.
W f m t .ih being-measwed A a enmal &end, &$$menti n each count/ry,
.etty od L v L d w*M and ivLt"a%nd
pas
and an o v u m t t mood, u a numba o eau p w d t conctvwúng t h e pobbibi-
di6putes.
When a geneRae *end emage¿, t u i n .thiÁ c u e , .L.t d p a r c l t i c M y
i m p 0 m n . t t o l o o k a;t the excepfiam. In compaJúAon w i t h &e ptrevious
s w ~ v e y(Octobm-Novemba 79551, mobt coum%cu 4how an u m d &end. The
onÆy exceMons am S e Æ g h , w h a e tke &encf .touw& p c u h & m c o ~ u e s ,
l u n d and t h e N e X h W d 4 , whme t h e .únpkovmen*t ltecokded .Ln 1 9 d S has
$&en 044, and $iyL(Leey Venmlurk, whae . t h e has been a b h a p dedine i n
op-m.
(See Tables I and 2 , pp. 5- 6, and Tables 3 and 4 , pp. 70-77).
T b geneRae tendency 20 .take a make opltimisfic view o$ .the coming y m
hedleded .&? peop&e'b ube64men.t o $ Ithe g e n d economic AMOM .&?
the countty ovm t h e labt ;hoeeve movLths and t h e $.¿nan& s.Ltua$Lon o$
t h e i h howehoLd.
Fok t h e $ht lfime &.&?cethese quesZians w a e h a t u d e d i n Ew~oba~wmeta
(luLtwnn 19821, .thobe who b d i e v e that t h e coLcnt)Ly'b g e n u d economic A&-
&on has h p m v e d i n hecent o&umbeh t h o b e who hold t h e oppob.L.te
view, the excep..tiond being once again S a g k u n , 7 k d u n d and Denmlurk.
The /repficu conceRning t h e d.&?anciaebiAulLtion o$ t h e houbehold &o
dhow a po~.i&ive &end, &hough t h e movement A l e s h madzed; thoae who
ttkinb t h e akend has g o t w o ~ cvre
e bltiee, on a v m g e , Ln t h e majo&y. The
p o s X v e trepfiu outnumba t h e n e g d v e i n $OW c o U u only: luxem-
b o w , Gumany, Qomk.gaL and T M y .
(See Tables 5 and 6 , pp. 73- 14 and pp. 7 6 - 7 7 ) ,
 Satisdacltian wLth &$e and &.tXng ob happinesb. Ume t h m e has been
no /la&& change @om peuious btu~ueyb, and baa%dacALon wLth &$e and
$e&gb o$ happ.ines4 a m m%.t high in lLee cowzt/ties, &hough apptrecicz-
M e udiz..tLoytb exist b m e e n them.
(See Tables 9 and 1 7 , pp. 21-22 and p . 2 4 ) .

Satisbacltion a h .the my demomcy wo&. The "pubLLc mood" .iA Le64

po&&ue u u cow2;t/u.-ed - 4ome.túnes appm~ciabtg6 0 - than the "ptcivaak
mood". In t h e e counthies (S&g.iUm, h&nd and especiaeey Z.taey), t h e
edi ing o$ d.haZLb$ac.tion even prreu&.
T h a e haue been onty slÁ.gh.t changes b h c e .the pmuious huhuey.
(See Tabte 13, pp. 2 6 - 2 7 ) .

A PfOPLE'S EUROPf

Tkis dltudy c o n c m ten A p h a u 06 &aut - &cience and tecfznotogy,

spee, hoco people Æive .in o-thm od Euhope, uk. The ex.tevLt Xo
wfúch, genurdty b p e u k i n g , .the kepeieb c o ~ ~ W bcbveen
e one couvllttry and
anothm .¿A 4;thiking. Top o$ t h e Ut come l'.únpo/Ltcmt s o c i a l p m b L a ~ ' ~
(hwuuz @ht.¿, povatg, dexude equÆ.¿ty, d c . 1, $altowed by "the enuhon-
ment, na$ue prrotectian and ecology", poe", and ".the and e d a -
Itainmenb". . Howeva, dome $ W y "iIW di$@~ences emage b a a n
.the b e x u and b&een .the di$$men.tage gmups. Women, whaZeum age
bmcket .they betong t o , tend $0 be mOhe i n t a e s t e d than men i n " h p o M
dociut prroblemsft and le64 i n t u u t e d i n na.C¿onaÆ ok & " t i o n a t
pouc6.
The mpÆiu A% tkid quesaon, once they haue been andybed in depth on
a countq-by-counhy bash, utiee p/rouide ucteuable gcLidane6 $o& poL¿cy
on indoroning t h e v & o u d e c t i a n s o $ the Ewopecrn public.
(See Tabled 1 7 and 1 % and Gaph 4 , pp. 38-47 1.

Feeling o$ betonging. The quafion has a e a d y been u k e d h e u m u t

$Úne6 and t h e kepUe6 me v m y b.tabte. Oum haed o$ EWrapeans, on
a u a g e , d a y Itha;t &y "a$ten'l 04 "&omatúne6" tkinh 06 tthemsetvu a6
m e n s o $ E m p e . T k i s 46. not sometking 46% 06 t h e Vanes, 56% od t h e
Z d h and 67% o$ t h e 8-h do g a .
(See Tabee 19, p. 4 3 ) .

The Ewopean $ l u g . The i d e a 06 a CamnunAy @tg, &h aU

. ,&
d b b O mow, i n lthe public mind, LA g e n W y w& keceived: 54% od Eutro-
peans me .in dauowr and onty 1 1 % against.
 1v

The i d e a {.in& moht upp poa i n l M g , Poh..tugd, Fnance and l / r a n d , and

least i n .the U&ed Kingdom and Venmak.
(See Table 27, p . 4 6 ) .
a

V o Ewropunb know t h & {Æag? Each p m o n ivzlte/rviewed u m dhown d o m

{Æugh &&ding t h e CommunCty {Æag (&udve g o l d h;ta/t6 on a bÆue back-
gkound], wkich w adopted b y t h e C o u n c i l o{ Euhope a6 {arr back a6 7 955.
S w r p u i n g t g , wkme~~ heven t o e i g h t people o& o{ ;ten /recognized the
Ewropean {Æag i n Ftrance, Luxembowrg and B e l g i u m , and make than d i x 0u.t 0 4
Ren i n hevetrae otheh couna%ies (induding Spain and P o t t u g a l ) , bwm than
one W o n .Ln t h e e gave t h e @kt anbwen, &hough th& counthy has been
a membm od t h e CounCie o{ Emope h&ce t h e oua2ct.
(See Tables 22 and 23, pp. 5 0 &d 51).

n o ; t i c d & l e s d pmnounced among t h e W

T k i s i e d i n g i~ h and
no.ticeabty m o w bo among ;tho. Getrman.6, t h e G/reehs and t h e SpaniaRdh.
(See Table 2 5 , p. 5 5 ) .

Uneimi;ted h i g k t 06 /residence {ok Emopean d % x n ~i n any membeh

c o u m y 0 6 t he Commuvt<lty. Recognctcon 0 5 t h e u g h t 0 6 na;tcana& 06 one
'Memben s;tate t o Ireside do& an u W e d ltime cui/thou.t /reslthic~Xonbi n
anothm Membeh W e A an .hpa&tavtt h t e p . t o m & a benbe o{ Ewropean
ci;tizen¿kip. The p/robÆem has been undm dibcuuion dok ovetr .ten yeam
and has encountmed nummoua di{{icu&Zes, ahtenbibly t ~ c h n i ~ ~bÆ ut ,
undoub.tedey maineg p o W d i n W e . A Æm.ge m a j o u g 06 Ewropeans
me i n {avowr: 74% UA against 20% who m e oppoded t o .the i d e a . The
p o d L ~ X v e repf fie^ hange {'rom 56% Án Venma& and 6 3 % .in t h e U d e d Kingdom
a 3 90% Án l/r&nd.
(See Tabte 2 7 , p . 5 7 ) .
The h i a k O X" Ewromxn cLiXzens t o v o t e at t o c d &ecltions i n t h u h
I

coun;ttry o{ /residence. Tkcb ~ anothm ptlabCem W c h ka6 been d e b d e d {ok

de v w y w . The Æegd ptrobtems and t h e demee o h POW& &%.&tance
me g/r&m i n dhA k e a th i n / r M Õ n t o 2gh.t 06 /raidence.
A6 m i g h t be expeded, thehe A te66 huppon;t than thehe wa6 {on. t h e
pm.~ioub p ' r o p o ~ a l , bu.t thehe AÁ a &ge mzjotLctg in {avouh i n aÆ2
couyl;thies, w L t h t h e exceprtion o{ Demmk and Luxemboutrg. Anatyhd tevedes
Itha;t these /replie4 b/roadey /re{Cec.t t h e l e g d , demogmpkic, p o W d and
pdychotogid ~ L t W o ni n each couvLtny; home c o u W e s have h a d y
g W e d t h e higfd t o v o t e t o d &mXona (ltrdund, Venmmh and t h e
Nahehean&) 04 have w d e d Lt t o c a n ategohies o{ /ruident (Uni;ted
m g d o m , Pom3qa.t); o.the& counttLies have anly a l o w pmcevttage o{ {omLgn
/residents and thems&ves have a $ m i . & L o n06 emigm.?Zon ( I l t a e g , Gaeece,
 V

Spain). Luxembomg LA a s p e d d ! w e , because 06 .the s k e o$ .the cou&y

and the kcgh phopotlltion 06 boheign z.ebide&. Be 2k.t a6 a may, and
~ o u ú n gdoh c W di66icuUies Án adapZÚtg, has been eb.tab&Áhed
.tha;t t h e JL¿& o$ natia@ o$ anothm M e m b a S m e o$ .the CommuvLikg .to
voze rtt a.o d eeeGiXon4 &udy has, oz. shouRd w-ecwre,
-¿'zen4 o $ Ewape.

(See Table 25, p. 6 0 ) .

ATTITUDES TOARVS EUROPE AM) TffE EUROPEAN COMMUNZTY

1vLtmes.t i n Community p h o b l m and .th& .Únpo&znce. TWO que~fionb
wfÚch have &wady been u k e d on & e v W occasion4 m w w r e f i e degtree 06
i n v o t v ~ ~ e v l06
l t EUÆ.OPCXRA h t h e p / r a b l m O $ ;the CO~M.UÚ@: .they ivLtm-
ested in Xhem and, w h d h a f i e y am ok noz, do Xhey couidm .them .to be
.únpoJLtun0t?
The C e v a 06 i n t e t r e s t daiheg Cow and z . e n a d v w sltabte i n most
co&es. On avtvcage, a qUatr;ta 06 .the people intuwiewed ceaim .to be
" v a g .intmes.tedtt ú.z lthebe paoblem, haed m e " a LLCtte ivlltetrebted" and
.the /remainda "not a-t dl h t m e s t e d t t (oz. don'< know).
While .the degz.ee 0 4 in.tme6.t i n .these p h o b l w .¿A daihey l o w , they me
bmadey acknowledged u being hpoh.tavLt.
Combhúng $he hepties $0 t h e ZWO queb;tions phoduces an "index 06 i n -
voÆvementtt, which shows f i e 7 a k L Ú w at f i e t o p a $ .the tubCe. I n &
co&es, opinion l e a d m - i . e . .those who keep in a u c h , dc6cu~&&sue6
and h@uence h s e w u n d Xhem - me obviously 6cu m o m ttLnvoCvedt' Zhan
o.thu.6.
(See Tables 34, 36, 37 and 38, pp. 7 2 , 74, 76 and 7 8 ) .
Foz. oz. against westetuz E m p a n d $ i d o n . In sFzi;te 06 Xhe d e b d a
on t h e m.tc Lc3.LtLon o t k e "sxn
- gle E m p u n A C P , aU;iRudeb t o ~ d . 6Euho-
p a n wLi6i&on - bdadey posLtive i n a.U COU~IXU - have b a h d y changed
since t h e liut AUAVU~.. On avauge, eight peopÆe o a t 06 zen m e tr60z.tt
( 8 0 % ) and deum $fun one Ln ten .i. "againsttt
¿ ( 9 % ) . In Venma&, .the 0n.Q
couvrrthy which sholud a Æess &vowuzble d c 6 W u t ¿ o n ( 4 5 % a.6 agcLinst 3 9 % ),
f i e p/tog/ress z.eco&ed 6oWlcling .the h.e$aendwn i n Feb- 7966 a p p m
t o have been can6oLúhted, bLLt &hoult any @.then. hph.0vem~1.Z.
(SU TabCe 4 0 , pp. 8 7 - 8 2 ) .
AaXLtudes Zo& lthe CommunLty. One 0 6 .the QU~S.CLOR¿ concmed
z .
m onb be.&u een ;the Memb- StaX e6 o v a .the past &etve months. In 1977
and 1975 posLtLve cxctt;i;tudes occltnwnbmed n e g d v e oneb Ln moht c o u W e b ;
lthe oppos.iZe WA .tme .Ln 1981, 1962 and 1963. The upbuLing which 6A.t
appeahed Ln Zhe sphing o6 1985 c o n $ h e d , and Zfte sLgn6 o$ a lrebwgence
o$ trEu.ho-optúniAmtt a e evident. ffowevm, ;the U d e d Kingdom covttinues t o
be an excepfion .to .thiÀ genetrae &end, i n spiXe o$ .the 6acX .tha.t .¿a2
govanmevllt heed Xhe Pz.ebidency o$ .the Councte 06 t h e C o m m W e b dwLing
.the second haed 06 1986. Onty 22% 06 people ceaim t o have h u d
oz. head any&ng abod .the pebidency.
[See Tabte 43, pp. 5 6 - 8 7 ) .
 VI

tlEwLo-op;timismll i.6 aebo evident i n t h e trepfies t o anotheh quesltion, on

whetha t h e coutW~yhas benebaed otr not &om m e m b m k i p 0 6 fie Communtty.
lhe /rupanse u m p&edominuntey posLtLve in a l l counthies with ,the
e x c e p ~ n0 6 .the U n t t e d Kingdom ( t h Á comekhtes u h t h e /tepfies
mentioned p t r e v i o u ~ l y ) ,and Spain (whÁch ha6 jut entmed t h e CommunLty
and cwr/renaZy expehiencing p t r o b l m i n a d a p h g economy). PotLtugaL,
on t h e otherr-hand, i.6 aRheady trecotrding - ok anticipaZing - 6avowrabLe
&esut%.
(See Table 44; p p . 8 9 - 9 0 ) .
The oveRaee judgment 0 6 Communtty m e m b m k i p .LA bmadey p o s X v e .in &
couyl;t)Lies, in&ding t h e U d e d Kingdom. In o t h a wo&& i.6 heed, aRe
t k i n g h considetred, t o be 'la good t k i n g t l .
(See Table 45, pp. 9 7 - 2 2 ) .
In h h o t t , i.t can be seen tha-t, i n most counaYÚu, a Z t Ú h d e 6 t o membetr-
skip 0 6 t h e CommunLty cure & ~ i M ypo&tive. In bome couy1.tnie6, howeveh,
bupp0t.t d AU @.agde and needs t o be backed up conbltantty by .tangible
tresuet6. W d h t h e odd excepfion, thme i.6 no tred oppoh&on, b u t f i a e
d a c0ns;tan.t dangetr 06 hdi66e/rence. Fok example, 42% o6 BkiXonb intetr-
viwed de& lthLtt m e m b m k i p 0 6 fie C o m m W y i.6 tta good thing" ( , thhom
u
a mmked .únpmvement hince t h e chc6i.6 y a m ) , bult 0 6 these douh o u t 0 6
t e n said tczIL.t t h e y would be 11indi66etrent11i d they wehe t o be t o l d tha-t
t h e Community had been h m u p p e d , wkiee moht o6 them 4el.t th.12i.t would be
neal.&Xc {ok Bhi;tain .to uli;thd/raw bmm t h e Community.

(See Tables 49 and 5 0 , pp. 99-707 1.

To d o h e thd chapten. on a.ttLtudes towuh.d.6 Emopean u n i 6 i d o n and
t h e Emopean CommunLty, .two que6;tionb m e abked 604 t h e 6 h t Zúne in
E w r o b w m e t a . Each p m o n intetruiwed WUA shown a u d on which wehe
cimun heven ~d 5igweb, t h e 6 h . t 0 6 wkich w a ~not moving, wkCee t h e
eve nth utu lutnning a.t 6ut.t hpeed. The p m o n being i n t m v i w e d WU
-5 h . t u k e d t o c h o o ~ ewhich 0 6 fie heven 6 i . g b~e s~t camaponded Ita hd
opuuon 06 .the Emopean Community and €unopean uni6ication, and - Zhen
- wkich 5 i g t . 4 ~b e s t comebponded t o what he t o be deshable.

The tlEu/ro-dynamometetr'lt e s t i.6 pos&ve. AÆmoht one Emopean i n &o,

i n avenage, b&evu $ha$ E m p e i.6 p&ogtre6sing &oWey (6.ig~lhe67 It0 3 )
white seven o u t 06 t e n would fike t o hee Lt advance mom q d t y ( 6 i g ~ r r e s
5 t o 7 ) . Tt d .taue tthLzlt opinions varty &om one cowz;ttly It0 anotheh, b u t
i n & counttLies &tho& excepaon .the muhage i.6 Ceeahey Xha..t things me
moving ~ l o W e y-
and tthat they bhoLLed be moving &z¿teh.
(See t h e "Euho-dynrunometetr" b d o w , p . UZI, and Tables 53 and 54, pp.
106 and 107 0 6 t h e trep0tr.Z).
 v7 I

W E EUROPEAN PARLlAMEKT
The ne& &ec&Lon~, t o be h&d i n June 1989, me appmacking. The
degue o$ m e n e 6 4 0 6 t h e inA;tCtultion, measmed by whcthu~ok not t h e
i n t u ~ v i e w e eha6 mceM;tey head o/t hecurd anytking a b o d it, has com5nued
t o h p i n & couna%Leb h&ce t h e 3une 1954 e t e d o n . Among thobe who
have /read alt hearrd about .kt, opinion h divided: 36% have a "geneRaeeY
davauhabLe AmptressLon", 2 6% have a "genetraeeg undavouhabte hptre6bi0nt',
31% have a tlne.LthuL d a v o m b l e noh un$avowblel' view and 7% don't know.

How does one e x p u n t h e daat that Ewrapeand, who, acco&g t o the

4mueys, atre $avouhab& dibposed tocclatrds unidica.tion and .to& the
Commuw, do not show m o u Mmest i n t h e h u o n wkich t r e p k a m
$hm and whose membm t h e y have &eded?
The /repfiu t o t h e o t h e n que6Ziond u k e d t r e v d .tha.t fie mujo/ti;ty o $
-
cU.zens :tomomow's v o t m me tom b W e e n fie $e&g that Xhe
cument mte 0 4 t h e Emopean P a & ú " t i& noz t ' v m g h p O m k v L t t t , and
-
the& U h exceplt .in a k m e 0 4 V e n m k - ;ta dee .i# pÆay a mom
ilnpomvLt mte .in lthe $W.
Thebe data ctee the p/rob&m s w u n d i n g pubfic o p h i o n and
.the domaZion 04 a d e d E m p e . E w r o p w ame t o become what they
COU become i $onty they w a e shown t h e way molte Ceeahey: CiR;izwa¿ o$
Ewrope. Some b&eve z9m.t tki6 has &eady been accompuhed: they m e
uvrong, and utiee be disappoMed. U t h m me beg.inning t o doubt that Lt
.i~ possible: Zhey atre lXub.te t o gmw m e d o$ waicting.
 " l n yowr ophÚan, how t h e Eutropean Community, Zhe Em-
pean w z i d i d o n advancing nowadays? P u e Look ctt t h e s e
people. Nwnbm 1 .Lb hltanding h W , No 7 .Lb hunning a6 &ut
U p o s s i b l e . Choohe t h e one which best comesponds w i t h youtr
opinion o$ t h e Emopean CommuvLi;ty and Ewropean u M i d o n t t .
"And which comebponds b e s t t o whctt you would Uke?"
. .

E u o p e t h cmen2 pmgtre6h

"i
1 2 3 4 5 6

n
10

7 2 1 7 % 24% 2 4 2 132 22 12 122 ( I )

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

"i
P
10

32 2% 42 92 202 21% 382 13% ( 1 )

(1) Cammunicty ab a whole

 CHAPTER I

THE MOOD OF EUROPEANS

 -2-

THE MOOD OF EUROPEANS

I n autumn 1986, as a t the end o f previous years, Europeans were asked

a number o f questions about t h e i r expectations f o r the year ahead, t h e i r
thoughts on developments i n recent months and t h e i r fears o f another world
war. To f l e s h out t h i s p i c t u r e o f the p u b l i c mood, they were also asked
the usual questions about personal s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h 1i f e , feelings o f
happiness and s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h the way democracy works i n t h e i r country.

I.
1. EXPECTATIONS FOR 1987l

"So a6 you me concmned, do you .think $kt1987

luiee be b&m 04 w o a e .thun 1986?"
"Loalúng ahead t o nelct y m , 1987, do you $kink ...
... 6;thiku and i n d u a m dtsputu i n thi^ coumhy
wLU i n m a u e , demaue, 04 m " n $he m."?
... .Lt utcee be a peace@Æ g m m o m ok ÆUA &e 0 4
i v L t W o d didpulteb, a &oubÆed y u cutth. much i Y 1 . t ~ ~ -
national &cod, OR. nemain .the hame?"
-

The general upsurge o f optimism which we i d e n t i f i e d as f a r back as the

end of 1984 i s continuing and gathering momentum. We must, however, make
i t c l e a r t h a t t h i s i s a eneral trend, which varies f r o m country t o
country, and an o v e r a l l % moo l ïw i c h i s tempered more o r less everywhere by
p e r s i s t e n t fears about the l i k e l i h o o d o f i n d u s t r i a l and i n t e r n a t i o n a l
disputes i n 1987.

1.1.1. 1987 taken o v e r a l l

A t the end o f 1985, f o r t h e f i r s t time i n the f i v e years i n which the
question had been asked, t h e number o f Europeans who thought t h a t t h e year
ahead would be " better" outnumbered those who thought i t would be "worse":
by 32% t o 24%. I n autumn 1986 these f i g u r e s had becóme 36% and 19%

These questions were asked on behalf -o f the Gallup International

Association. Findings were k i n d l y made a v a i l a b l e t o us by the General
Secretary, M r Norman Webb.
 -3-

respectively. The general shift towards what may be cal led "Euro-opti-
mism" i s continuing and even growing.
(See Figure 1 and Table 1 )
Country-by-country analysis reveals two d i s t i n c t groups o f countries:
those were the mood i s predominantly optimistic, i.e. where the "betters"
outnumber the "worses"; and those where the negative replies are in the
majority. Comparing the replies in autumn 1986 and those from previous
years shows whether the trend towards greater optimism in a particular
country i s persisting o r declining.
Countries which were optimistic a t the end o f 1986. Italy leads this
-
group, followed, some way behind, by Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg and
Germany. Optimism also s t i l l predominates, although t o a lesser degree,
i n , t h e United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Denmark. In other
words, nine of the twelve Community countries expect 1987 t o be "better"
t h a n 1986.
Countries which were pessimistic a t the end o f 1986. The three
countries recording more negative repl ies t h a n positive are Belgium,
Ireland and Greece, although in the case of Greece the difference i s so
slight t h a t i t would be more accurate t o describe the two views as
bal anced.
Trend. Since the previous survey (autumn 1985) optimism has gained
gro- re o r less everywhere except in Belgium, where the trend towards
pessimism continues, Ireland and the Netherlands, where the improvement
recorded i n 1985 has fallen off, and finally Denmark, where there has been
a sharp decline in optimism. The countries where optimism has gained most
ground over the year are Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain.
Table 2 shows the trend by country from 1985 t o 1986 while Figure 2
charts the trend from 1980, revealin! the fairly widespread swing from
"Euro-pessimism" t o "Euro-optimi sm" .
(See Table 2 and Figure 2. For more details, see Table 1 in the
Appendix, pp. A5-A8, which also gives pre-1985 results f o r Spain and
Portugal supplied direct by Gallup International)

The Tables and comments below show t h a t , i n both 1985 and 1986, 36% of
interviewees t h o u g h t t h a t the coming year would be "the same". I t i s
clearly impossible t o interpret the attitude expressed i n this - un-
-
prompted response one way o r the other. This i s why the comments
mainly concern the optimistic ("better") and the pessimistic ("worse")
repl ies.
* Statistical analysis of the trends since 1980 i n each of the ten
countries covered shows t h a t the pace of change has been more or less
uniform i n five of them (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the
Netherlands), slightly more rapid i n Luxembourg (al though the small
s i t e o f the sample means t h a t the results must be interpreted w i t h
caution) and slightly slower i n the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
The only country out on a limb i s Greece, where there was an extraordi-
nary wave o f optimism just after the general election i n October 1981.
 I
I
I
I
t
I
I
I
I
I

I
d

I
O
 EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR^
(Community as a whole) 2

i 982 1983
I 1984
I 1985 1986
II
1980 1981 '

I
F e e l t h a t t h e coming y e a r I I I
w i l l be: I I I
.. bt heet t esame
r 20% II 25% I 25% 26% I 29% 32% 36% I
I I I
. worse 30
43 I
30
38 I I
31
3ß
32
35 I
35
30
36
24
36
19 I
I I I I
S t r i k e s and i n d u s t r i a l d i s - I I I I
p u t e s ( i n your country): I !I I I
.. ww ii ll ll iremain
ncrease 14% I 14% ' I 1891 13% I 1 5% 1 7% 15% I
' I I I
I I
. wt hiel l same
decrease
36
43
I
I
30
44
31
49
36
45 I
36
42
39
36
43
34 I
.

I I I
The y e a r on t h e inCer- I I I
n a t i o n a l f r o n t w i l l be: I I I
. f a i r l y peaceful 10% I 10% 9% 7% I 13% 13% 14% I
. remain t h e same I 32 39 37 I 48 41 I
. troubled '

I
28
53 I
I
50
l
44 49 I 32 38

"Don't knows" excluded from t h e Table b u t i n c l u d e d i n t h e c a l c u l a t i o n of percentages.

Average of answers g i v e n i n t h e Member S t a t e s ( i n c l u d i n g Spain and P o r t u g a l ) from 1985, weighed by

p r o p o r t i o n of p o p u l a t i o n i n each c o u n t r y aged 15 and over.
 EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR: 1985 AND 1986l

I
I I I l I -
October-November 1985
l % l X I % I % I % x
I I I I I I I
i i I / / I
41 35 I 33 I 37 26 I 33 I 25 I 32 I
25 45 I 46 I 25 19 I 28 I 22 I 36 I
31 16 I 16 I 30
3

+
1 O0

-10 21 16 5 -2 10
- -19 8 -4 I 8 4
DJ I
I I I 5 Q.

I I I l m I
I I
.. better 57 33 i 31 I 39
... the same
... worse
21 50 I 43 I 26
19 13 I 20 , I 25
Dont ' know 1 6 7 9 8 5 3

Total I 100 1 O0 1 O0 1 O0 1 O0 - 1 O0
Difference between
"better" and "worse"
11 - 1- 3 1 I 4
I
I l 9
I
1 7
I
1 - 5 38 20 I 11 I 14

The figures in bold indicate the countries where the trend towards optimism, measured here as the difference
between the percentages expecting the year ahead to be "better" and the percentage expecting it to be "worse",
increased most between the end of 1985 and the end of 1986. The answer "the same" was unprompted (see p. 2)

Weighted average.
 - 7 -

Figure 2

FROM EURO-PESSIMISM TO EURO-OPTIMISM

TREND I N THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN O P T I M I S T I C AND P E S S I M I S T I C REPLIES

1980 - 1986
 - 8 -

1.1.2. Harmony at home and abroad

Expectations for the coming year correlate both with the interviewees'
perceptions of recent changes in their personal and social position (vari-
ables which are considered on pages 12 to 17) and with their expectations
of harmony or conflict in the immediate future.
In other words, those who expect the coming year to generate fewer
strikes and industrial disputes an? fewer international disputes tend to
view it positively and vice versa. However, it should be noted that the
overall view of the coming year is more positive than the more limited
'ud ments on disputes at home and abroad would lead one to e x p e n i s
means that the public feels such disputes are not very serious
and can be coped with by ou2 societies; up to a certain point optimism is
confident though not bl ind.
Strikes and industrial disputes at home. On average, just over four
interviewees in ten (43%) thought that disputes at home would remain at
the present level and 15% thought they would decline. The remainder, 34%
or just over a third of those questioned, expected them to increase. This
capacity was shared by almost two thirds of Danes (65%), nearly half the
French (47%) and almost as many Greeks (44%).
The only two countries where fears of an escalation in strikes and
industrial disputes have clearly increased are Denmark and Belgium.

--
The correlation between the two harmony variables and the overall
assessment o f the coming year is as follows:
For i ndi vi dual s - countries
For the twelve
. Strikes
d i s pu t.es
and industrial
.214 . .462
. International disputes .212 .571

Obviously a great deal of research, using a large number of indicators

corresponding as closely as possible to the explicit or implicit
anxieties of the various social groups, remains to be done into both
individual and collective attitudes to the near or distant future.
 -9-

+
International d i s utes. On average the answers t o t h i s question vary
less from coun ry o country than in the case of the previous question,
doubtless because w h a t i s being measured i s perception of the same inter-
national envi ronment.
Just over four interviewees in ten (44%), on average, t h o u g h t t h a t the
I - year ahead would be similar t o the year just ending. One t h i r d (33%)
t h o u g h t i t would be a troubled year and 14% thought i t would be peaceful.
These results are very similar t o those obtained.last year; this i s
hardly surprising since the international scene has changed very l i t t l e .
(See Tables 3 and 4 and Tables 2 and 3 i n the Appendix, pp. A9-Al6)

1.2. APPRAISAL OF CHANGES IN THE COUNTRY'S GENERAL ECONOMIC SITUATION

!

"How do you $#únk the g e n u economic AAXuaZLon Ln

W.6 c o W y has changed i n the &ult 1 2 motu%? W O U
you bay .i2 .Lb now a Cot be;ttetr, a U e b a a , the hame,
a ÆLCtte w o u e ok a Cot woue4lI
"How does t h e & a n c i a e h t u a t X o n ob yowr houbehoLd now
compahe wLth WW.Lt loa6 1 2 month6 ago? 14 a Lolt
b u e , a W e b&m, t h e hame, a L ú Z e woue ok a Colt
w o u e? l1

The mood of a people and of i t s constituent individuals i s strongly

influenced by feelings and recollection. Experience has shown t h a t both
these questions, which deal w i t h recent changes i n the general economic
situation of the country and in the financial p o s i t i o n of the household,
are useful indicators not only of views y the socio-economic situation
b u t also of the mood among interviewees. Analysis reveals t h a t general

The strong similarity in the pattern of replies t o t h i s question and

the previous one throughout the twelve Member States suggests t h a t
there i s a correlation between the two harmony variables. This turns
out t o be r = .243 f o r individuals and r = .402 for the twelve
countries. People who are anxious about the s i t u a t i o n within their
country tend also t o worry about outside events which could affect i t .
These are among the questions used t o produce the index of consumer
confidence devised and employed by the Directorate-General f o r Economic
and Financial Affairs of the Commission of the European Communities.
They are asked every month i n a number of the Member States.
 HARMONY AT HOME: 1985 AND 1986

8 OK D F 1RL I L NL UK GR E P Èc (1)
1 % x x Y x t Y x x x % x x

i
Don' t know 5 9 7 8 5- 6 6 8 5 15 18 28 8
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 I00

Difference between
"decrease" and "increase"
October-November 1986
*-
2 -12 -10 -17 -31 -29 -20 -17 -21 -12 -41 -14
-6 I I
-19
4
5
0
-I
O

I I a I

Don' t know
Total

Difference between
2
I 10:

I -30
7
100

-63
7
100

-16
6
100

-42
100
6

I -14 I
4
100

-15 I
1
100

-20
8
100

-24
6
100

-1
14
100

-32
24
100

I -17
I 16
100

-3
8
100

-19
l~,

I
"decrease" and "increase"

Weighted average.

A negative difference indicates a predominantly pessimistic outlook.

 HARMONY ABROAD: 1985 AND 1986

October-November 1985
The year on the international
front will be:
... remain
... fairly peaceful
the same
8
%

9
zmz
6
I
I
1 1 7 1
I

I
8
IRL

16 16
I
I
I
I
9
-
NL
-
%

8
* 7
I

I
I
I
10 17
I
I
I
22
I
I 13
I
II
... troubled 50 34 39 34 44 38 35 I

q+
28 24 41
35 44 40 I 52 43 50 I 40
Don’ t know
- 6 6 5

*
Total 1O0 1O0 100

I
v
Difference between “fair3y
peaceful” and troubled” -26 -28 -24 - 43 -35

I
_I

October-November 1986 I I I I
The year on the international i í
I I I
fron; will be :
... fairly peaceful
... remain the same
... troubled
10
45 46 I 46 I
16
41
21
43
1
I
14,
36
7
41
8
43
I
.iI 14
35
14 I
I
32 1
I
14
I
1I
q-k
53 36 28 44
38 36 I 27 I 34 36 32 1 46 46 43 I 39 25 I 29 I 33
Don’t know
-7 II
7 6
Total -
1O0 -
I O0 1O0

Difference between “fairJy

peaceful” and “troubled“ - 28
- -20 - 11 I -32 - 39 -35 I -25 -11 I -3 I - 19 I
Weighted average.

A negative difference indicates a predominantly pessimistic outlook.

I - 12 -

expectatifns f o r t h e coming year c o r r e l a t e more s t r o n g l y w i t h both these

v a r i a b l e s than w i t h fears o f possible o r d i s t a n t disputes.
I n autumn 1986 t h e general trend both i n t h e economic s i t u a t i o n o f t h e
country a n d _ i n t h e f i n a n c i a l p o s i t i o n o f the household was assessed much
more favourably than i n previous years.

6.2.1. The c o u n t r y ' s general economic s i t u a t i o n

For t h e f i r s t time since t h i s question was included i n Eurobarometer

i n autumn 1982, those who b e l i e v e t h a t the country's general economic
. s i t u a t i o n has improved over t h e past year outnumber, by a few percentage
points, those who b e l i e v e i t has deteriorated.
A t t h e end of 1986 on average 36% of Europeans considered t h a t t h e
s i t u a t i o n had improved over t h e previous twelve months w h i l e only 30%
f e l t t h a t i t had deteriorated. A t t h e end o f 1985 these f i g u r e s were 29%
and 40% r e s p e c t i v e l y .

However, t h e t r e n d v a r i e s from one country t o another: i t i s c l e a r l y

p o s i t i v e i n Portugal, Greece, I t a l y and Germany b u t negative i n Belgium
and I r e l a n d and even more so i n Denmark.
-
I f we examine t h e p a t t e r n over a longer p e r i o d and data are a v a i l a b l e
from 1982 -
i t can be seen t h a t most countries f e e l they are emerging
from t h e c r i s i s , a c o n v i c t i o n which i s strongest i n Luxembourg, t h e
Netherlands, Germany and I t a l y ; the United Kingdom and Greece are s t i l l
exceptions t o t h e general r u l e .

(See Table 5)

1.2.2. The f i n a n c i a l s i t u a t i o n o f i n d i v i d u a l households

I n autumn 1986 only'23% o f Europeans on average f e l t t h a t t h e f i n a n c i a l
s i t u a t i o n o f t h e i r household had improved over t h e previous y e a r w h i l e 28%
f e l t i t had deteriorated. A year e a r l i e r , these f i g u r e s had been 18% and
33% r e s p e c t i v e l y . I n o t h e r words, t h e r e has been some progress, b u t t h e
general view i s s t i l l negative r a t h e r than p o s i t i v e .

~~

The c o e f f i c i e n t s o f c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h general expectations f o r t h e

coming y e a r a r e as f o l l o w s :
For individuals For t h e twelve s o u n t r i e s

- Recent changes i n t h e
general economic s i t u a t i o n
o f t h e country .347 .692

- Recent changes i n the

financial situation o f the -
household .339 .593
 - 13 -

--
--
u
,-
-
-
--

...... .:fl --A--

Table 5

.......... t------
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.......... .. ..........
- ------
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w a * W - m d * - M I D O
I L1 N N N - C ? N N M
I-
e
w
--
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O æ N - N N &UNN-
N
-- _------

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-1

-- -------
- o w 0 0 1 - ma"
CI
- - u n - - U N

_------ -------
-1 - m o m o
a - N u
U

N
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LL N N O
&

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n c l a m w c
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m
m . m m I n 0 - . m o ) ~ ~
Q 4
4
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Iv) I
LI
k a !
 I THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC SITUATION OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS~
ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANGES N

B OK D F IR1 I L NL UK GR EC 10 E P EC 12
1 % x x x x x
I
x x x x
(2)
x x x
(3)
x

A lot worse I 17 8 5 26 45 12 5 8 , 28 Il 16
Index4 1.96 2.59 2.47 1.79 1.57 2.29 2.42 2.54 1.93 2.45 2.15

A lot worse I 8 5 3 I 14 I 27 13 5 3 I 20-_--. I -30 1'12 12 14 12

Index4 2.38 2.65 2.59 2.12 1.89 2.25 2.73 2.81 2.05 1.73 2.27 2.28 2.06 2.26

A lot worse I 10 9 2 8 37 4 2 3 20 18 I 9 7 .3 8
Index4 2.15 '2.26 2.89 2.25 1.67 2.72 2.88 2.79 2.07 2.17 2.48 2.41 2.80 2.48

"Dont' knows" excluded from the Table but included in the calculation of percentages.
Weighted average.
Including Spain and Portugal from 1985.
Index calculated by applying the coefficients 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively to the replies "a lot better", 'a little
better", "a little worse" and "a lot worse". Replies that the situation remained the same are excluded, as are the
"don't knows". The mid-point is 2.50. Below this level, the negative answers predominate and above, the positive
ones.
The April 1984 survey covered only five countries. Findings were kindly made available by Professor Michael S.
Lewis-Beck, University of Iowa, USA, who is currently researching these datá with support from the National Science
Foundation, Washingtbn. '
 - 15 -

The o n l y countries where posi t i v e assessments outnumbered negative

ones a t t h e end o f 1986 were Luxembourg, Portugal and I t a l y . A t the
other end o f t h e scale negative views were most widespread i n France and
I r e 1and.
This v a r i a b l e i s l e s s s e n s i t i v e t h a n ' t h e previous one, f o r obvious
reasons: t h e f i n a n c i a l s i t u a t i o n o f t h e household i s something which
experienced d i r e c t changes o n l y s l i g h t l y over t h e s h o r t term; t h e p u b l i c ' s
image o f t h e economic s i t u a t i o n o f the country, on t h e other hand, i s
b u i l t up mainly from information provided by t h e media. The two v a r i -
ables c o r r e l a t e s t r o n g l y b u t are q u i t e separate. Depending on circum-
stances, there can be a p r e v a i l i n g f e e l i n g t h a t recent developments have
-
had more o f an i n f l u e n c e f o r b e t t e r o r worse - on t h e s i t u a t i o n o f t h e
country than on t h a t o f the household o r v i c e versa. Hence i n most
countries during t h e c r i s i s period o f autumn 1982, assessments o f changes
i n t h e household s i t u a t i o n were l e s s negative than those o f changes i n
the n a t i o n a l s i t u a t i o n ; t h i s t r e n d has now.been reversed and t h e s i t u a t i o n
of t h e country tends t o be regarded more favourably than t h a t o f the
househol d.
(See Table 6)

1.3. FEAR OF A THIRD WORLD WAR I N THE NEXT-TEN YEARS

"Hehe ÁA a h o u 06 & d e (SffOW CARD). Wo& you, w i t h

;the hctp 06 ;tkib carrd, ; t a me haw you cldhunb t h e changes
06 a w o d d m b h u k i n g occt i n ;the nelct ;ten yea/ld?" '
I n 1986, as i n 1985, t h e Jast m a j o r i t y o f Europeans f e l t t h a t the r sk
of a t h i r d world war was s l i g h t o r even non- existent.
Again too, a n x i e t y i n Portugal and I r e l a n d was s l i g h t l y more marked
than elsewhere i n t h e Community.

(See Table 7)
I n general, young people (15-24 years o l d ) are s l i g h t l y more worried
than t h e i r elders. Fear o f war a l s o seems t o c o r r e l a t e w i t h a p e s s i m i s t i c
view o f changes i n t h e country's general econqmic s i t u a t i o n and w i t h
d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e way democracy works.

-
Graduated scale i n mult ples o f 10. 100 = "war c e r t a i n " and O = "no
danger o f war".

These variables and t h e way i n which they i n t e r a c t need f u r t h e r study.

 ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANGES I N THE FINANCIAL SITUATION
OF INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS O VER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS~ --
I
e OK O F IR1 I I l L l NL UK '
GR EC 10 E P EC12
I I I I I I I I I (2) I I (3) I
I X I X I % I X I X I X I x X I x x x x % x 1 '

A l o t worse 1 1 4 1 6 1 3 1 1 4 1 2 6 1 8 1 9 1 1 0 17 I 6 11
4
Index 1.~6 2,29 2.32 1.96 1.73 2.21 2.08 2.00 2.12 2.74 2.14
I 1

A l o t worse 1 1 4 1 5 1 5 1 2 1 1 3 7 1 6 1 9 1 1 1 12 11 11
Index
4 I 1.96 2.38 2.24 1.84 1.55 2.27 2.03 2.01 2.25 2.29 2.12

A l o t worse 1 1 2 1 5 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 7 1 7 8 I 12 I 15 10 11
Index
4
I 1.94 2.46 2.43 1.85 1.70 2.24 2.05 1.98 2.19 2.44 2.15

A l o t worse I : I : I 3 1 1 6 1 : I 6 1 : I : I 1 4 : I 13
Index
4
I : I 2.34 1.88 2.21 2.28 : 1.98
1
 ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANGES I N THE FINANCIAL SITUATION
O F INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS~

I
I 1
B

x
I
1
OK

%
D

X
I
I
f

x
IRL

% I% I
I
I
I
L

X
I
I
NL

X
I
I
UK

% I % I
I
GR EC 10
I321
%
E

X
I
I X
P
I
I
E C 12
(3)
Ix:

IA lot worse 1 1 0 1 5 1 2 1 2 4 1 2 6 1 7 1 8 I l O I 1 5 I 8 1 1 1 1 : .-. : I :

I Index
4
I 2.02 2.46 2.57 1.78 1.75 2.31 2.19 2.12 2.16 2.55 2.18
I--
I
c
4

I
I A lot worse 1 1 0 1 4 1 2 1 1 8 1 1 7 1 6 1 6 1 9 1 1 4 1 1 8 ~ 1 0 8 ~1 1 3 10
I Index
4 2.05 2.55 2.61 1.89 1.93 2.36 2.34 2.23 2.26 1.94 2.22 2.25 2.05 2.21
I

I A lot worse I 6 5 1 4 1 1 3 1 2 0 1 4 1 3 1 6 1 1 5 1 1 4 1 9 5 4 1 8
4
' 1 . 9 L 1 2 . 5 $ 1 : ! . e o l m 2 . 2 9 1 3 4
-I-------
[ 2.35 2.22 2.63 I 2.35

'' 2' 3 9 and see notes to Table 5.

 FEAR O F A THIRD WORLD W AR IN THE NEXT TEN Y E A R S ~
(Per 100 actual ly replying)

I 8 OK O F IRL I L NL UK EC 12
I I I I I I
I x x
I October-November 1985
I War certain
I
(100)
(90-60)
I
i
I
I No d;P; %
(50)
(40-10)
(0)
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 . 100
I Average score 2.10 1.95 2.48 2.49 2.68 2.20 1.79 2.43 1.98 1.58 2.26 2.42 3.27 2.31
i (Did not reply) (7%) (13%) (10%) (13%) (1%) (2%) .(S%) (5%) (10%) (5%) (8%) (14%) (6%)
I
I 3
u .
i -I
L

O0

i October-November 1986
, War certain (100)
Cb
U I
(90-60)
(50)
I
i No danger
Total
(40-10)
(0)
29
100
I 43
100
I 40
100
I 26
100
I 34
100
I 32
100
I 42
1co
I 26
100
I 42
100
I 43
100
I 34
100
35
100
I 22
100
34
100
~~
I

I Average score 2.63 1.78 2.20 2.61 2.14 2.42 1.98 2.03 2.12 2.06 2.32 2.51 3.00 2.38
I (Did not reply) (2%) (10%) (14%) (1%) (9%) (.I (4%) (3%) (5%:) (7%) (5%) (12%) (11%) (6%)

' Graduated scale of probability from 100 to O; a score above 50 thus corresponds to more than one-in-two chance.
average scores are equal to the values obtained divided by ten.
The

Weighted average.

Including Spain and Portugal.

 - 19 -

The d a t a collected over the l a s t twenty-five years, and particularly

ver the l a s t decade (the period covered by Eurobarometer), show t h a t the
&ly time that the alarm bells started ringing was in 1980-81, shortly
a f t e r the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
(See Table 8 and Table 4 in the Appendix, pp. A17-A24)

1.4. SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AND FEELING OF HAPPINESS

1.4.1. Satisfaction w i t h l i f e

As in a l l recent surveys, satisfaction w i t h l i f e remains h i g h every-

where, although the level varies from country t o country: t o p of the
league are Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; bottom of the league
are France, Greece, Italy and Portugal.
Portugal, however, i s the only country where satisfaction w i t h l i f e
has increased since the l a s t survey.
(See Table 9 and Table 5 in the Appendix, pp. A25-A36)
If we look back as f a r as 1973, we see t h a t the level of satisfaction
in Belgium and Ireland i s now a l i t t l e below previous minima: autumn 1984
and autumn 1983 respectively.
(See Table 10)

1.4.2. Feeling of happiness

-
ttkingh I t o g e t h a , haw ura& you bay lthinga
me thebe dayb - wa& yau h a y you'/~ev a y happy, $&y
happy, ok n a t t a a k p p y t h e b e dag¿?"

The index of happiness, like that of satisfaction w i t h l i f e , i s s t i l l

h i g h i n most countries w i t h more people saying t h a t they are "very happy"
t h a n " not too happy". The happiness rating i s highest i n the Netherlands,
where 41% claim t o be "very happy" and lowest i n Greece, where 38% are
" not t o o happy".
There has been no increase since the previous survey, the decline has
been particularly steep in Ireland and Denmark.
(See Table 11 and Table 6 in the Appendix, pp. A37-A44)