Britten, Letten en Oostenrijkers minst positief over de EU (en)
Citizens from the UK, Latvia and Austria are the least convinced that EU membership is positive, while Bulgaria appears to be the more eurosceptic of the two newest EU states, according to a Eurobarometer survey released on Tuesday (18 December).
Some 34 percent of Britons, 37 percent of Latvians and 38 percent of Austrians see their countries' EU membership as a "good thing", while only 37 percent of British and Cypriot citizens as well as 42 percent of Hungarians and Austrians think that their country has generally benefited from EU membership, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.
The Benelux countries rank highest in support for EU membership - 82 percent of Luxembourgers, 79 percent of Dutch and 74 percent of Belgians say membership has been a good thing.
Of the two newest member states, Bulgaria and Romania, the former appears to be the more eurosceptic. After less than one year in the EU, only just over half (52 percent) of Bulgarians approve of their country's EU membership.
This ranks Bulgaria among the top ten countries least satisfied with the EU together with the UK, Latvia, Austria, Hungary, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy and Malta.
Romanians seem to be more optimistic, with 71 percent expressing support for EU membership, while 67 percent think Romania has benefited from joining the EU.
People in Ireland (87 percent), Poland (83 percent) and Lithuania (81 percent) are the most positive about the benefits of their countries' accession to the EU.
Among EU candidate countries, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the most supportive of EU membership (76 percent), while only 35 percent of Croatians think membership would be a good thing. Some 49 percent of Turks replied positively to the same question.
The Eurobarometer also shows that inflation is increasingly worrying Europeans and is now their second highest concern (26 percent), ranking just behind unemployment (27 percent).
Crime, healthcare, the economic situation of their country and immigration figure among the other issues preoccupying EU citizens.
The survey was carried out between September and November this year and some 30,000 people in all 27 member states were questioned.