The economic situation is the main concern of European citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new Eurobarometer survey published on Friday 23 October.
The survey, conducted in July and August, shows that 64% of Europeans think the situation is “bad” and that 42% believe that their country’s economy will not recover from the negative impact of the pandemic until 2023 or later.
With an increase of 17 percentage points, the economic situation has surpassed health as the most important issue at the national level. Unemployment has also increased considerably in importance, followed by rising prices and the cost of living.
According to the survey, Europeans are divided over the measures that have been taken by the EU to fight the pandemic. Forty-five percent say they are satisfied and 44% dissatisfied.
Sixty-two percent of the respondents nevertheless said they had confidence in the EU’s ability to take the right decisions in the future and 60% remain optimistic about the future of the EU.
Among the most frequently cited priorities for the EU’s response to the pandemic are the establishment of a strategy to deal with a similar crisis in the future and the development of financial resources for research into a treatment or vaccine.
Thirty percent of respondents also believe that the development of a European health policy should be a priority.
Consult the survey: https://bit.ly/2HpJj0m (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)