Eurobarometer 58.0 (Sep-Oct 2002)

This Eurobarometer survey 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, and what the European Union´s priorities
should be.

Topics: Additional questions focused on the respondents´ knowledge of
and opinions about the European Union (EU), including sources of
information about the EU and whether their country had benefited from
being an EU member. This round included six general topics: services of
general interest, new technologies, ICT (information communication
technologies), health, environment, and public safety. In addition,
demographic information was obtained.

(1) The services of general interest topic included questions
assessing accessibility, fairness in pricing, quality of service,
clarity of information received, fairness in terms/conditions of
contracts, complaints made, and customer service quality for the
following services: mobile phone, fixed telephone, electricity supply,
gas supply, water supply, postal services, transport services within
towns/cities, and rail services between towns/cities.

(2) The new technologies topic included questions about developing
technologies, and whether they would improve the quality of life in the
next 20 years. New technologies listed included solar energy, computers
and information technology, biotechnology, genetic engineering,
telecommunications, space exploration, the Internet, nuclear energy,
nanotechnology, and mobile phones. Respondents were asked to what
degree they were interested in, felt informed about, or found difficult
to follow or understand politics, science and technology, and health.
Further questions focused on biotechnology (broadly including genetic
engineering and genetically modified foods). Respondents were asked to
assess as either true or false statements such as the following:
bacteria exist that live on waste water, genetically modified animals
are larger than ordinary ones, and criminal tendencies are genetically
inherited. With regard to applications of biotechnology (for food
production or therapeutic cloning), respondents were asked whether they
had heard of them, to what extent they had found them useful, and to
what extent they believed they were a risk, morally acceptable, or
encouraged them. Respondents also rated the most important and second
most important issue with regard to new technologies. Respondents were
then asked whether they tended to agree or disagree with statements
regarding the utility, safety, and accuracy of judgment on genetically
modified foods or cloning cells. All respondents were asked whether
they agreed or disagreed with the statements that they would eat, buy,
discuss, or support genetically modified foods, and whether they
supported cloning research. Other questions probed whether different
groups, such as newspapers, university scientists, government, and the
European Commission, were doing a good job with regard to
biotechnology. Respondents´ level of trust in various groups was also
gauged, and respondents also indicated whether they had discussed or
read anything regarding biotechnology. Respondents indicated whether
they agreed with various statements having to do with the ethical and
philosophical aspects of new technology.

(3) The ICT (information communication technologies) topic included
questions regarding the use of a computer and other media devices
(mobile phone, personal organizers, cable/satellite/digital TV).
Respondents assessed their use of computers and the Internet to find or
keep a job, communicate with family or friends, and to buy products or
services. Questions related to computer training, such as the extent of
training/qualifications, self-assessment of skill, and use of the
Internet in daily life, were also asked.

(4) Questions about the topic of health sought to identify sources of
health information, use of the Internet as a health information source,
and trust in various sources such as consumer organizations, trade
unions, government, and media.

(5) Questions about the environment included the extent to which
respondents worried about aspects of the environment such as the ozone
layer, acid rain, pollution of rivers and lakes, and waste management,
and the extent to which they felt informed about these issues.
Questions regarding personal efficacy, sources of information, trust in
various groups, level of government involvement, and solutions to
environmental problems were also posed.

(6) Questions about the topic of public safety probed respondents´
perceived level of safety, belief in the risk of theft or burglary
within the next year, and agreement or disagreement on statements
relating to public safety (such as burglar alarms can reduce crime,
poverty leads to crime, and organized crime has infiltrated the
economy).

Demography: Age, gender, nationality, marital status, left-right
political self-placement, occupation, age at completion of education,
household income, region, and subjective size of community.