Survey Reveals EU Citizens Believe Living in Europe will Get Harder

(MENAFN) A recent survey suggests that a large majority of European Union citizens believe their best years are behind them and that life across the continent is likely to become more difficult, according to reports. Many respondents also expressed support for more nationalist policies by their governments.

The poll, conducted across 23 EU countries by communications firm FGS Global, found that 63% of participants agreed that “our best years are behind us,” while 77% said life in their country “will be harder for the next generation.” Overall, 65% believe their nation is “heading in the wrong direction,” with pessimism highest in Central and Western Europe. France topped the list at 79%, followed by Belgium at 74% and Hungary at 73%.

Only citizens of Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark expressed more optimism, with Lithuanians leading at 38% believing their country is “heading in the wrong direction.”

Although the survey did not specifically assess views on EU leadership in Brussels, 76% of respondents said democracy is declining across Europe. More than half of those surveyed indicated that their political system “is failing the people and needs fundamental reform,” rather than “works fairly well and doesn’t need significant reform.”

The poll also found strong support for nationalist policies: 71% said their countries “should be more assertive of [their] national interests even if this creates friction with other countries.”

By contrast, reports indicate a more positive outlook outside Europe. According to Russia’s Levada polling institute, 53% of Russians view the future “calmly, with confidence,” rising to 68% among 18-24-year-olds. Similarly, a 2024 Ipsos poll showed that 86% of Chinese respondents feel optimistic about their country’s future.

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