The rising cost of living is the most pressing issue for 93 per cent of EU citizens and 95 per cent of Slovaks. This stems from the latest Eurobarometer survey, the results of which were published on Thursday by the European Parliament.
The poll of a sample of 26,431 respondents from all 27 EU member states indicated that support for the Union is relatively stable among respondents from EU countries, including Slovakia. However, citizens expect further steps to mitigate the negative effects of recent and current crises.
Citizens' satisfaction with measures against the rising cost of living at the level of the Member States and the EU is low. Only 33 per cent of respondents across the EU are satisfied with the measures taken by national governments and the Union to mitigate rising food or energy prices. Only 16 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the Slovak government in this area and 24 per cent of Slovaks are satisfied with EU-level measures.
Rising prices, including for energy and food, are felt by citizens from all socio-demographic groups - regardless of age, gender, education or socio-professional status. This is currently the most acute problem in the EU as a whole, including in Slovakia.
Europeans are also worried about the consequences of climate change. Slovaks are more worried about the risk of a nuclear incident (83 per cent), migration (73 per cent), threats to common European values such as freedom and democracy (69 per cent), or the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 or monkeypox (69 per cent).
According to the Eurobarometer findings, EU citizens expect the Union to continue to deliver solutions to mitigate the cumulative effects of a series of current crises.
Source: TASR
