Faith in banks and financial institutions remains low
February 2, 2012
Europeans' and Americans' confidence in their financial institutions has followed a similar trajectory throughout the global economic crisis, suggesting a strong link between the two struggling economies.
In most countries, pluralities say it is a bad time to find a job
January 27, 2012
A median of 12% of EU residents in 2011 said it was a good time to find a job where they live, while a median of 80% said it was a bad time. Residents of Greece were most pessimistic, while Germans were most optimistic.
A median of 36% confident in government; 43% confident in financial institutions
December 22, 2011
Europeans had little faith in their national governments and financial institutions in 2011 compared with other key institutions, likely reflecting dissatisfaction with the economic turmoil gripping the EU. Europeans trusted their military (69%) and honesty of elections (59%) the most.
Greeks, Spaniards, Italians say their governments make it hard to start and manage businesses
December 16, 2011
Residents in some of the EU's most debt-laden countries are also among the most likely to say their government makes it hard to start and manage a business. The climate for entrepreneurs is most inhospitable in Greece, where more than 8 in 10 residents see their government as an obstacle.
Standard of living perceived as "getting worse" across much of EU
December 14, 2011
More Europeans are "suffering" than "thriving" in several countries hard-hit by the financial crisis. More than one in five residents rate their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, and Portugal.
Greeks are by far the most negative; pessimism soars Portugal and Italy
December 1, 2011
Views about local economic situations are deteriorating in several EU countries hard-hit by the European debt crisis, including Italy and Portugal. Those in Greece, Portugal, and Ireland are among the most negative, while views in Finland, Germany, Luxembourg are the most positive.
Fewer than one in five Greeks have confidence in their national government, financial institutions
November 4, 2011
Greeks' confidence in their country's national government hit an all-time low of 18% earlier this year, and their faith in their financial institutions has fallen sharply since 2005. Neither trend bodes well for Greece's economic restructuring and recovery.
Greeks expect their lives in five years to be worse than they are today
September 25, 2011
"Suffering" in Greece has more than tripled to 25%, up from 7% in 2007, and more Greeks are now suffering than "thriving." Further, Greeks expect their lives to be worse in five years than they are now.
Gallup surveys conducted before Britain's recent phone hacking scandal show the majority of Britons have not been confident in the quality and integrity of their media for years. The 39% who were confident in 2010, however, is still higher than the 30% of Americans who expressed confidence in their media that same year.
At the Obama administration's halfway mark, approval of U.S. leadership worldwide is still higher than during the Bush administration's last years. Across 116 countries, median approval of U.S. leadership in 2010 stood at 47% -- relatively unchanged from the 49% median across 111 countries in 2009.
