Many points of criticism

Only one in three people under 30 are satisfied with the EU

The EU Parliament in Strasbourg

(Bild: APA/AFP/Frederick Florin)

Only one in three people between the ages of 16 and 30 is satisfied with the current European Union. This is the result of a new Eurobarometer survey. A further fifth were skeptical, while six percent of respondents were completely opposed to the EU.

Respondents see the protection of human rights, democracy and peace as important functions, followed by freedom of speech and thought as well as human dignity. Around one in three people surveyed in Austria (35%) believe that the EU should primarily focus on rising prices and the cost of living over the next five years. For a third, the priority should be the environment and climate change. A fifth believe that the economic situation and job creation require European action.

Social media preferred source of information
Around four in ten young Europeans surveyed use social media as their main source of information about politics and society. The second most important source of information is television, while a quarter in Austria primarily use online news platforms.

80 percent are convinced that they have been confronted with disinformation and fake news in the past week. "The information landscape is changing rapidly. As most young people get most of their news from social media, politicians and social media platforms have a particular responsibility to combat the rise of disinformation," commented Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.

According to the survey, rising prices and climate change are the main concerns for the under-30s. The survey polled 25,863 people in all 27 EU member states.