Eurobarometer 59.1: The Euro and Parental Leave, March-April 2003

This round of Eurobarometer surveys 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. 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. Respondents were also asked how informed they were about EU enlargement, their preferred option for the immediate future of the EU as it concerned the enlargement (i.e., whether the EU should include all, some, or none of the countries wishing to join), and whether they agreed or disagreed with statements regarding the EU enlargement (e.g., whether having more countries in the EU would mean more guaranteed peace and security in Europe, whether the EU should financially help future member countries before they join, and whether the EU should reform the way its institutions work before welcoming new members). In addition to the selected standard trend variables (which included additional questions about the perception of and attitudes toward the European Parliament, the European Convention, and the United States of America), the survey also elicited respondents' opinions about the euro and its introduction as the common European currency. Respondents were asked a series of questions about dual pricing (prices in both the euro and their own respective national currency), its usefulness and necessity, whether they felt handling eight coins was complicated, the usefulness of 1- and 2-cent coins, and whether some of the coins should be replaced by notes. General attitudes regarding the euro replacing their national currency and whether the euro made the respondent feel more European were also assessed. Finally, respondents were asked questions about parental leave, more specifically about the attitudes of men toward taking time off from the workforce for parental leave. Questions addressed the main reasons that would encourage or discourage fathers from taking parental leave. Demographic variables include gender, age, marital status,occupation, and household income.