New research shows: – 41 percent notice a lower standard of living

Across the EU, every second person notices a deterioration in their standard of living. A total of 26,376 EU citizens were surveyed. The biggest differences between Austria and the other EU countries are less support for EU-Ukraine policy and higher expectations from the EU parliament about migration and the climate crisis. Across the EU, 76% of respondents are at least somewhat satisfied with support to Ukraine, compared to only 61% in Austria (in 1011 interviews). Agreement is strongest in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Ireland, and lowest in Slovakia and Greece.

On migration and asylum issues, one in four respondents in Austria would like the EU to become more involved, while the figure is ten percentage points less across the EU. When it comes to climate change, 39 percent in Austria want the EU to fight more (31 percent overall), and every fifth person wants more involvement in agricultural policy (versus 13 percent across the EU). In Austria, public health is relatively less often seen as an EU matter.

elections in a year
“The figures are generally quite good,” said parliament speaker Jaume Duch Guillot. The majority of the population is optimistic about the future of the EU. The results were presented exactly one year before the next European Parliament elections (6-9 June 2024). In Austria, six out of ten respondents said they were interested in it. Slightly more (68 percent) would probably vote if the European elections were next week. The actual turnout in Germany in 2018 was 59.8 percent.