Eurobarometer 58.1 (Oct-Nov 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 priorities of the European
Union (EU) should be.

Topics: Additional questions focused on the respondents´ knowledge of
and opinions about the European Union, including how well informed they
felt about the EU, what sources of information about the EU they used,
and whether their country had benefited from being an EU member. Other
variables included respondents´ expectations regarding employment, and
their present and future economic and financial situation. Opinions
regarding various European institutions, such as the European
Parliament, the European Central Bank, and the Economic and Social
Committee of the European Union were elicited. Respondents were asked
whether issues such as defense, currency, and cultural policy should be
handled by the nation´s government or jointly with the EU, and whether
issues such as welcoming new member countries, protecting the
environment, or fighting terrorism were priorities the EU should
undertake. Respondents were asked whether it was a good thing that the
euro replaced their national currency, how comfortable they felt using
the euro, to what degree they were attached to the single currency,
whether they still felt a personal attachment to their previous
currency, whether they felt that in the conversion to the euro, prices
had generally been rounded down, rounded up, or not rounded at all, and
whether they felt this was the case in all areas or only in certain
areas. Respondents were further queried on their views regarding the EU
enlargement. Specifically, respondents were asked how informed they
were about the EU enlargement, whether they had read, seen, or been
told about the enlargement via various media such as radio, newspapers,
television, the Internet, books, brochures, or national or regional
government offices, whether they were in favor of or opposed to
particular countries joining the EU, their preferred option for the
immediate future of the EU with regard to the enlargement (i.e.,
whether the EU should include all, some, or none of the countries
wishing to join), whether certain groups (small or large businesses,
the elderly, and ethnic minorities) would benefit or lose out as a
result of enlargement, and whether they agreed or disagreed with
statements regarding the EU enlargement (e.g., having more countries in
the EU will mean more guaranteed peace and security in Europe, the EU
should financially help future member countries before they join, and
the EU should reform the way its institutions work before welcoming new
members). Questions regarding financial services probed for
respondents´ opinions on whether consumer protection standards should
be harmonized within the EU, obstacles preventing consumers from using
financial services in the EU, and what sort of feelings the respondent
had when thinking about their finances and financial services (e.g.,
comforted or intimidated). Respondents were asked to identify their top
three financial priorities, choosing from the following: paying bills,
paying off debt, buying a house, providing financial security for
family in the event of unemployment, and saving for emergencies or
retirement. Respondents were also asked to provide information on
whether they had a checkbook, credit cards, life insurance policy, car
and other loans, mortgage, or stocks/shares, and whether they would
consider obtaining any of these items from another country. The survey
also collected information on respondents´ preferred method of paying
for significant purchases (e.g., with cash, check, credit card, or bank
transfer) inside and outside of their own country, and the reasons for
this payment preference. Finally, respondents indicated whether or not
they agreed with a series of statements regarding financial
institutions, such as (1) having a bank account is too expensive, (2)
buying on credit is more useful than dangerous, (3) the marketing
techniques of financial institutions are aggressive, (4) financial
transactions are generally secure, and (5) transactions on the Internet
are generally secure.

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