NEW POLL: More Europeans prioritise the environment than prioritise the COVID-19 economic recovery

Brussels, 12 October – As Europe recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, it can’t forget the environment! A new Friends of Europe/YouGov poll suggests more Europeans want the European Union to prioritise the environment (49%) than want the EU to prioritise the COVID-19 economic recovery (43%).

In September-October 2020, the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe commissioned YouGov to poll over 10,500 European citizens from 11 EU Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark). Participants were asked to choose from a list of policy areas they think the EU should prioritise over the next 5 years.

Overall, 49% of Europeans surveyed said they want the EU to prioritise working for the environment and a sustainable future. This compares to 43% who said they wanted the EU to prioritise helping European countries recover from the economic damage caused by the coronavirus and lockdown measures.

Prioritising the environment was broadly popular across Europe, with 43 – 64% of Europeans from 10 of the 11 countries surveyed saying that it should be a priority for the EU over the next 5 years. However, there exists a strong North-South divide when it comes to the EU’s economic recovery plan. Around two thirds (65-66%) of those in Spain, Greece and Portugal and a majority in Italy (58%), said they wanted the EU to prioritise economic recovery, compared to only around a quarter of Germans (28%), Swedes (26%) and Danes (25%).

Citizens were also asked whether they thought their lives would be better, worse, or the same if the European Union no longer existed; 44% of those surveyed said their lives would be ‘slightly worse’ or ‘much worse’ without the EU, versus 21% who thought they would be ‘slightly better’ or ‘much better’ off without the European Union, and 20% who expected no difference either way. This is roughly in line with similar polling conducted on behalf of Friends of Europe by Dalia Research in 2018 and 2019 as part of their #EuropeMatters work.

In 2019, when we asked poll participants to tell us what they thought the EU should prioritise over the next 5 years, 29% said: “Secure European borders”. In 2020, the number who prioritised securing European borders was 41% though, as in previous years, that number masks a significant generational divide; 31% of people aged 18-44 listed it as a priority, compared to 48% of people aged 45+

The polling was conducted ahead of Friends of Europe’s annual high-level “State of Europe” roundtable event, which this year has moved online and become a week-long festival of ideas and politics about the future of Europe. The poll will underpin the discussions and serve to bring in the perspectives and views of citizens.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 10629 adults in Lithuania, Portugal, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Hungary & Greece. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th September – 8th October 2020. The surveys were carried out online. The figures have been given an even weighting for each country to produce an ‘average’ value.

To see the results of the #EuropeMatters Citizen Poll from previous years, click on the links below:
2019 #EuropeMatters Citizen Poll
2018 #EuropeMatters Citizen Poll