Eurobarometer 61 (Feb-Mar 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.