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.
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.
Chadians among the least likely to say media in their country have a lot of freedom
November 3, 2011
People worldwide are more likely to perceive the media in their countries as having a lot of freedom than not. A median of 67% say their media have this much freedom, but this view ranges from as low as 27% in Chad to as high as 95% in the Netherlands.
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.
Greeks and Romanians predict their lives will be worse than they are now
January 14, 2011
In the next five years, people in nearly all EU countries expect their lives to be better than they are now. Greeks and Romanians alone predict their lives will be worse.
Nearly all in Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Slovakia said it was a bad time to find a job
January 4, 2011
Most EU residents are likely hoping 2011 brings jobs. EU residents almost universally agreed 2010 was a bad time to hunt for work, including more than 9 in 10 in Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Slovakia.
A median of 29% saw their living standards getting better in 2010
December 30, 2010
While EU residents' optimism about their standard of living in 2010 doesn't indicate a full recovery from the economic crisis, Gallup surveys show their outlooks are improving. Between 2009 and 2010 the percentage who saw their living standards getting better increased or stayed the same in nearly every country.
