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 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.
Residents in former Soviet states are most likely to approve
August 5, 2011
Russia's leadership has relatively few fans worldwide, with a median of 27% of adults across 104 countries approving of the Kremlin's job performance in 2010. At the same time, Russia's leadership remains most popular in former Soviet Union countries.
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.
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.
Those dissatisfied with their local communities are most likely to desire to migrate
December 14, 2010
Although the United Kingdom is one of the top desired destinations for would-be migrants around the world, Britons are among the most likely in the European Union to say they would like to move permanently to another country if given the chance.
Median U.S. leadership approval remained stable at about 50% in the European Union between 2009 and 2010. Approval did drop, however, in countries where the effects of the global financial and economic crisis remain severe, including Greece, Ireland, and Portugal.
U.S. respondents more likely to prefer competition and taking risks than Europeans and Chinese
October 12, 2010
In terms of attitudes associated with entrepreneurship, recent Flash Eurobarometer surveys suggest the U.S. seems to have an advantage over the European Union. Americans are more likely than EU or Chinese respondents to think of themselves as risk takers, competitive, and able to accomplish difficult tasks.
