Project Europe

In the first half of 2016, the Századvég Foundation conducted a public opinion poll survey covering all 28 European Union Member States, with the aim to analyse the opinions of EU citizens regarding the issues that most affect the future of the EU. In a unique way, Project 28 conducted the widest possible survey of 1,000, that is a total of 28,000 randomly selected adults in each country. Gaining an understanding of society’s sense of prosperity and mapping the population’s attitudes towards the performance of the European Union, the migration crisis and the increasing terrorism were among the most important goals of the analysis. Following the surveys in 2017, 2018 and 2019, on behalf of the government, the Századvég Foundation has been conducting the research under the name of Project Europe since 2020, which continued to reflect on the topics that most dominated the European political and social discourse.

In 2022, the aim of the survey is again to map the population’s attitude towards the most important public issues affecting our continent. In addition to society’s sense of prosperity, the performance of the European Union, the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and the perception of the migration crisis, in line with the latest challenges affecting Europe, the dominant theme of this year’s poll has been the Russian-Ukrainian war, the energy crisis, energy supply, and family policy. In addition to the European Union Member States, the 2022 research covered the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and surveyed a total of 38,000 randomly selected adults using the CATI method.

2022

2021

2020

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2016

Opinion-polls

Arms transfers to Ukraine – Europeans' positions are far from uniform

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European public opinion is strongly divided by the arming of Ukraine

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Even according to the Germans, Germany’s energy policy is responsible for the energy crisis in Europe

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The importance of family values remains indisputable in Europe

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Brussels must act immediately to promote peace and curb inflation due to sanctions

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European citizens remain concerned about illegal migration

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Archive

Four-fifths of Europeans hold Brussels responsible for the energy crisis

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The proportion of Europeans who believe that the energy crisis in the EU is partly the result of the European Commission's failed energy policy has increased. While in 2022, 75 percent of the adult population who responded held Brussels responsible, by December this proportion rose to 79 percent, according to the Századvég Project Europe Research.

A quarter of Europeans have heating difficulties

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The proportion of households in energy poverty in the European Union has risen dramatically. The results of the new research by Századvég show that, on average, one in four households struggles with heating difficulties and arrears in utility bills in the EU. Due to the utility costs reduction program, Hungary’s involvement in the former problem is the second lowest and, in the latter, the third lowest.

Public support for nuclear energy in Europe is growing

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As a result of the energy crisis, the proportion of people rejecting nuclear technology in the EU has significantly fallen. While in the autumn of 2021, 26 percent of European citizens opposed the use of nuclear energy, in the autumn of 2022 this proportion decreased to 15 percent, according to the results of the Project Europe Research conducted by Századvég.

European public opinion: Sanctions hurt the EU more than Russia

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Based on the results of the Project Europe Research conducted by Századvég, in all EU Member States, there are more people who believe that the sanctions are primarily harmful to the EU economy than those who believe that they are harmful to Russia. As a result of the punitive measures, the prospects are deteriorating: Almost three-quarters of Europeans think it is likely that their country will plunge into recession next year, and a quarter say it is already in crisis.

Europeans want peace, not sanctions

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The European Union's attitude to the Russian-Ukrainian war is a key priority area of the Community's foreign policy. The intensity of the fighting is constantly increasing and, in addition to the warring parties, the burdens on Europe placed by the sanctions are also increasing. Despite this, the intention of bringing those affected to the negotiating table is not pronounced in Brussels’ efforts. However, based on the results of the research conducted by Századvég, Europeans would expect their leaders to work towards a peace agreement as soon as possible and a quick end to the war.