Eurobarometer 47.0 (Jan-Feb 1997)

Attitude to the EU. Environmental protection and consumer protection.
Questions on the EURO, finance market, ´Fair Trade´ products,
information society. Interest in information on Germany.

Topics: 1. Nationality (multiple response possible); interest in
politics; personal opinion leadership; judgement on the membership of
the country in the EU; advantageousness of this membership at the time
of interview and in future; necessity of a common European currency.

2. Importance of a common European drug, asylum and foreign policy;
assessment of the most useful second language besides one´s own native
language; trust in the people of individual member countries of the EU
as well as in the Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Russians and Americans;
importance of cooperation between France and Germany; interest in
information about Germany and sources of information used for this;
assessment of the significance of Chancellor Helmut Kohl for European
integration.

3. Expected quality changes in foods, such as e.g. fresh products,
products in cans, frozen foods and prepared products or convenience
products; assessment of the credibility of consumer information
provided by private and government organizations as well as media;
necessity of environmental protection; preference for economic growth
or environmental protection; most important environmental problems and
judgement on this regarding solution recommendations; knowledge of
European initiatives on consumer protection, such as e.g. contract law,
safety with toys, misleading advertising, price marking, identification
of materials contained; judgement on the effects of these initiatives
on consumer protection; most important consumer problems; assessment of
the school as sensible preparation for life as well as for conduct as
consumer; judgement on local, national and European institutions in
their role regarding education of consumers; judgement on EU measures
to improve safety of products; judgement on the safety of selected
products and services such as medications, cosmetics, toys, food, motor
vehicles, public places, hotels, sporting events, airplanes,
restaurants and personal impact; judgement on the perception of the
problem of safety of products and services through the media and
schools; expectation of comparable safety standards and product
standards in traveling to other European countries; judgement on the
quality of goods produced by government companies; attitude to
privatization of government supply and monopoly companies; expected
changes from privatization and deregulation in the areas telephone,
mail, electricity supply, gas supply, water supply, air travel and
trains regarding price reduction, quality improvement, supplier variety
and protection of consumer interests; expected effects from increased
competition; rights of the citizen in access to selected government
services; judgement on the quality of products from Central and Eastern
Europe; attitude to expansion of the security standard of products to
also include those exported from the EU; judgements on the
possibilities of price comparison with products and services and
designation of products and areas in which more clarity in product and
price information is desired, such as e.g. housing system, public
health system, finance system, repairs and e.g. travel agencies;
product and service areas in which comparison of original pricing could
achieve a price reduction; product areas and service areas in which
foreign suppliers are also of interest.

4. Desire for information regarding the progress of the common
European currency; expected improvement in international competitive
ability and political power of the EU durch the EURO; country, finance
institutions, companies or consumers as profiting from the common
currency; expected adjustment time for the new currency; preference for
a dual marking of prices in stores and bank account statements; desire
for a longer transfer time; difficulties in dealing with foreign
currencies; judgement on national laws regarding consumer protection,
data protection, bank and insurance law and the safety of funds
transfers; judgement on the counseling and provision of credit by banks
and insurance companies; judgement on security aspects with telephone
banking and the Internet; most important obstacles in the use of
financial services in the EU; preferred manner of payment with larger
purchases in one´s own country and in other EU member countries; most
important reasons for the preferred manner of payment; use of modern
means of payment with PIN code up to now; reasons against use of such
means of payment; attitude to use of smart card at home and abroad;
demand for more consumer protection with new technologies; use of
technologies of the information society such satellite program, pay TV,
teletext, Minitel, video recorder, computer, CD-ROM, fax, modem, mobile
telephone, the Internet, pager and cable TV in the private as well as
occupational area; personal interest in use of these new technologies.
Knowledge and purchase of ´Fair Trade´ products; products purchased and
place; interest in purchase of ´Fair Trade´ bananas; preferred purchase
place for such products; accepted price increase for ´Fair Trade´
products in percent; reasons for not purchasing ´Fair Trade´ products;
currently preferred brand of bananas; weekly consumption of bananas;
self-classification on a left-right continuum.

Also encoded was: date of interview; time of start of interview; length
of interview; number of persons present during interview; willingness of
respondent to cooperate; possession of a telephone.