Eurobarometer 61 (2004)

Standard Eurobarometer measures. European Parliament Topics: 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, and how much trust they had in certain institutions like the press, radio, television, police, army, religious institutions, political parties, and the United Nations. Additional questions focused on the respondents´ knowledge of and opinions about the European Union (EU),its priorities, budget spending, foreign, security, and defense policies, and feelings and fears about the enlargement of the EU and the building of Europe and the EU. Respondents also expressed whether they felt safer and more stable economically and politically as a member of the EU, whether their voice and that of their country counted in the EU, and if the EU played a positive or negative role in the important issues facing their country (e.g., crime, taxation, unemployment, terrorism, inflation, and health care). Respondents were also asked which European bodies played an important role in the life of the EU and expressed how much trust they had in these bodies (e.g., European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of Ministers of the EU, The European Ombudsman, The European Court of Auditors, and the Committee of the Regions of the EU). Respondents were given a definition of globalization (the general opening-up of all economies, which leads to the certainty of a world-wide market) and asked if they felt globalization was a good thing for the country, and whether it would cause power to be concentrated in large companies, increase global environmental problems, represent a threat to employment, increase the variety of products for sale, cut the prices of products and services through increased competition, make it more difficult to control the quality of food products sold, or lead to a duller and more uniform world. Respondents were further queried on their feelings regarding the European Parliament and its power, the likelihood of voting in the next election, reasons for deciding to vote, what would make them more likely to vote in the next election, what the election campaign should focus on, and contact they may have had with members of the Parliament (whether through newspapers or magazines, television, radio, Internet, or public meetings). Demography: Marital status, gender, age, current occupation, whether the respondent lived in a rural area or village, small- or middle-sized town, or a large town, household income, who contributed largely to the household income and the occupation of that individual, and how much toward the left or right the respondent placed their political views.