Findings show Europeans yearn for conservative policy solutions as EU member states struggle with the cost of living, illegal immigration, government censorship, and food production issues
WASHINGTON — The EU-US Forum, a nonprofit organization that launched to shine a light on the harmful policies coming out of the EU in order to stop them from spreading to the US, released a memo detailing the results of an eye-opening public opinion survey conducted by the Tyson Group in five European Union member states (France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal).
The EU-US Forum/Tyson Group poll results suggest strong dissatisfaction with current European leadership and a shift toward conservative policy solutions. The top issues for the European citizens surveyed are the cost of living, the economy/unemployment, and migration. The survey was fielded as these issues are top of mind for Euorpeans who will head to the polls in two weeks to vote in the EU’s parliamentary elections.
Click HERE to view the memo in full.
Alex Alvarado, Tyson Group Vice President, said:
“The surveys fielded earlier this month make clear that EU citizens are yearning for changes in their governments and the policies they pursue. There is a strong negative sentiment towards the direction the EU is headed and the leadership in various countries. This phenomenon is driving the uptick in support conservative parties saw in each of our surveys.
EU citizens are struggling financially and blame the high taxes and excessive energy regulations that are being pursued by their home governments and in Brussels. The backlash in Europe, however, is not just limited to the economy. Respondents are also worried about the expansion of government censorship and the inability of their leaders to secure their borders. Our data suggests a vast conservative shift is well under way in some of the largest countries in the European Union.”
Download the full memo HERE.
Notable findings include:
- Economic anxiety driven by cost of living and taxes
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- Across all five countries surveyed, one of the most pressing concerns for respondents is the cost of living. In Portugal, 75% of respondents identify the cost of living as one of the three most critical issues facing their country, closely followed by France (65%), the Netherlands (61%), Germany (57%), and Italy (55%).
- A common policy that European citizens blame for their difficult financial situations is excessive taxation. A staggering 73% of Italian respondents think they are paying too much in taxes, followed by Portugal (69%), Netherlands (52%), Germany (51%), and France (44%).
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- A shifting desire for conservative governing philosophy
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- The respondents in the majority of the countries polled do not think the EU is headed in the right direction under its current left-wing leadership. The trend is most pronounced in the Netherlands (24% think the EU is headed in the right direction – 49% wrong direction), followed by Italy, (29%-44%), and France (32%-44%).
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- Low approval ratings highlighting a backlash against current governance
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- Leadership approval ratings across the surveyed countries also highlight a general dissatisfaction with current governance. In France, President Macron and Prime Minister Attal face high disapproval rates of 62% and 51%, respectively. Germany’s Chancellor Scholz also encounters a 61% disapproval rate, reflecting citizens’ frustration with their leaders’ handling of economic issues.
- In Italy, Prime Minister Meloni’s approval is notably low at 36%, while in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Rutte’s disapproval stands at 52%. Portugal’s Prime Minister Costa faces a similar situation, with 49% disapproving of his performance.
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- Serious concerns about illegal immigration
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- Illegal migration is a significant issue for respondents in all surveyed countries, highlighting growing concerns over migration policies and their impact on national security, economy, and social stability.
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- 76% of French, 76% of Germans, 76% of Dutch, 63% of Italians, and 77% of Portuguese respondents agreed that “countries should impose harder border controls to reduce the flood of illegal migrants coming into Europe.”
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- Rising fears over government censorship
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- When asked if they agree with the statement, “I am more worried today than I was a decade ago about government censorship of my ideas,” a substantial number of participants expressed that they agreed: France 65%, Italy 63%, Portugal 57%, the Netherlands 51%, and Germany 46%.
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- A Call to reinvigorate domestic agriculture
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- When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “We must reestablish domestic food production and encourage farming within our borders,” the responses were overwhelmingly positive, indicating a widespread recognition of the importance of local agriculture: In Portugal 89% of respondents agreed, followed by France 85%, Germany 85%, Italy 74%, and the Netherlands 72%.
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- Feeling that excessive regulations threaten economic and national security
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- Germany 62%, France 60%, The Netherlands 55%, Portugal 54%, and Italy 46% agreed with the statement, “Excessive energy regulations threaten our economic and national security.”
Background
- The EU-US Forum is a new nonprofit recently launched to shine a light on the harmful policies coming out of the European Union in order to stop them from spreading to the United States and the rest of the world.
- The EU-US Forum is led by multiple former Trump administration officials. Matt Mowers, former Senior White House Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, serves as the Founding Board Member and Joseph Grogan, former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council serves as a Senior Advisor.
- Throughout the spring, EU-US Forum ran a six-figure ad campaign taking aim at the far-left policy agenda of the EU. This included campaigns in:
- Rome, Italy with ads that said “EU Policies Are Putting Western Civilization at Risk.”
- Budapest, Hungary during CPAC with ads that read “Demand Change in the European Union.”
- Maastricht, Netherlands during the Maastricht Debate with the message: “Demand Borders. Demand Free Speech. Demand Change at the EU.”