Eurobarometer 68.1: The European Parliament and Media Usage, September-November 2007

This round of Eurobarometer surveys queried respondents on standard Eurobarometer measures, such as how satisfied they were with their present life, whether they attempted to persuade others close to them to share their views on subjects they held strong opinions about, whether they discussed political matters, what their country's goals should be, and how they viewed the need for societal change. Additional questions focused on the respondents' knowledge of and opinions on the European Union (EU), including how well-informed they felt about the EU, what sources of information about the EU they used, whether their country had benefited from being an EU member, and the extent of their personal interest in EU matters. Another major focus of the surveys was the European Parliament (EP) and media usage. For the first special topic, respondents were queried about obtaining information, how well-informed and knowledgeable they felt, and their opinions about the EP, including its image and role. In addition, they were asked to identify the date the next European election would occur in their country, the number of Members of the EP (MEP) from their country who sit in the EP, and which policies and values the EP should defend as a priority. For the second special topic, the survey asked respondents to identify the television channels they regularly watched, the radio stations they regularly listened to at least five times a week, the daily newspapers they regularly read, and the Web sites they regularly visited at least three times per week. Demographic and other background information includes respondent's age, gender, nationality, origin of birth (personal and parental), marital status, left-right political self-placement, occupation, age when stopped full-time education, household composition, ownership of a fixed or a mobile telephone and other durable goods, type and size of locality, region of residence, and language of interview (select countries).