Majority of Europeans think their country has benefited from EU membership, polling finds – Europe live

61% thought EU membership is good thing and 72% thought their country benefited but 73% also felt their standard of living would decrease next year

73% of Europeans think their standard of living will decrease over the next year, according to a Eurobarometer poll published this morning.

Close to half (47%) have already seen their standard of living reduced. 26% have not, but expect it to decrease over the next year.

Results for the latter have been steadily increasing over time, going from 50% in autumn 2010, to 67% in spring 2019 and reaching 72% since autumn 2020.

At the national level, over nine out of ten citizens in Lithuania (94%), Ireland (93%), Luxembourg (93%) and Malta (92%) say their country has benefited from EU membership, while the lowest shares are found in Italy (57%), Bulgaria (57%) and Austria (55%).