Eurobarometer 44.1 (Nov-Dec 1995)

Attitude to the EU, European unification, the currency union. Purchase
preferences of foods. Defense questions of the EU. Third world.
Attitude of young people to education. Topics: Expected economic
situation for the next year and expectations regarding the financial
situation of one´s own household, the employment situation in the
country, one´s own job situation as well as regarding general
contentment with life; interest in politics; personal opinion
leadership; attitude to membership of the country in the EU and
advantageousness of membership for one´s own country; judgement on the
speed of unification of the EU and desired progress of this unification
(scale); attitude to a common European currency; self-assessment of
extent to which informed about the European currency; knowledge about
the convergence criteria for participants in the common currency
specified in the Maastricht Treaty; knowledge about the two countries
that have a special arrangement regarding their opportunity to join the
common currency; knowledge about the time of introduction of the
currency; hope, concerns and general attitudes to the effects of the
European currency (scale); preference for an introduction on one day or
a gradual introduction of the new bank notes; desire for more slow or
short-term transition time in dual pricing of products; expected
transition difficulties in the introduction of the new currency;
preferred information provider for the introduction of the European
currency; preferred institutions and media for conveying this
information; vision of Europe in the year 2010; European citizenship;
significant European controversies and events noticed in the media;
relative significance of decision-making European institutions;
preference for national or common European decisions in selected areas
(split: presentation of different topics and political areas); hopes or
fears in the Common Market and the European Union; attitude to a common
European foreign and security policy; attitude to a European
Government; current and desired role of the European Parliament; core
areas for the European Parliament; perceived representation of
interests of the people through institutions such as the European
Commission, the national government, the European Parliament, the
national parliament and the Council of Ministers; the significance of
the European Parliament for the EU; actual and desired significance of
parliament; knowledge about the government conference and its primary
topics; further desired topics for the government conference; attitude
to a ´Europe of two speeds´. Food: frequency of purchasing selected
foods; brand, quality sign, country of origin, traditional character,
external presentation, place of sale, price and date of production as
most important decision criteria in purchase of selected product types;
most important characteristics of a quality product in the area of
foods; trust in quality symbols; knowledge and significance of the
abbreviations R.O.C., D.O.C., P.D.O and P.G.I.; willingness to pay a
higher price for food with guaranteed designation of origin; frequency
of consuming as well as shopping place or place of consumption of
selected foods produced in traditional manner; most important provider
of information on traditionally produced foods; particular attention to
consumption of foods of designated origin in restaurants; attitude to a
guarantee of the European Union for the designation of origin and the
production process of foods. EU: characterization of actual and desired
functioning of the EU; assumed excess of power of individual countries
in the decisions of the EU and in particular in the Council of
Ministers (split: open/closed question); parties, organizations or
media representing one´s own concepts of Europe; attitude to acceptance
of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in the EU; attitude
to agricultural subsidies for newly joining Eastern European countries;
most important rights of a European citizen in the other member
countries; most important political goals of the European Union in the
next 10 years. EU as preventer of war between the member countries;
preferred extent of obligation to send troops from the member countries
given a hypothetical mission outside of the European Union; deployment
of troops only with agreement of the European Parliament; reduction of
the standard of social security in Europe to increase international
competitive ability; hopes on reduction in unemployment with
cooperation between the member countries of the European Union;
attitude to an expansion or reduction of the rights of foreigners in
the country; preference for decisions of the political leaders oriented
on goals or the needs of the citizens; feeling of political
effectiveness on national as well as European level; longer stays
abroad; assessment of the significance and preference for common
Europe-wide or national treatment of topics such as reduction of
regional differences, provision of energy, equality in prosperity,
fight against terrorism, support of poorer countries, defense of
European interests against the great economic and political powers,
foreign countries, environmental protection, defense and strengthening
relations to Eastern Europe. Third world: sources of information about
Third World countries; perceived topics from the Third World; areas of
individual information deficits about the Third World; attitude to
support of the Third World; desired goals and actual conduct of the
industrialized countries in support of the Third World; organizations
or political institutions providing the financially most extensive and
most sensible foreign aid; conditions, that should be placed in the
award of foreign aid money; classification of European support for the
Third World as humanitary emergency action or long-term development
work. In Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Italy, Spain,
Germany and in the United Kingdom the following additional questions
were posed: stating the member countries, the respondent knows well;
stating the countries reliable politically and in business as well as
working economically efficiently; stating the countries particularly
obligated to the European Union; probability of a common currency in
the year 1999; judgement on the current political as well as economic
situation in Italy on a scale. The following additional questions were
posed to young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years: most
important tasks of the school; technical training or acquisition of
social skills as task of school education; satisfaction with
achievement of these goals; most important educational goals and
character traits of a person; parents, school or work environment as
responsible to develop these educational goals; adequate effort of
parents for the interests of children; judgement on companies in
acceptance of their responsibility for young people in school; school
satisfaction; reasons for possible dissatisfaction; assessment of task
fulfillment of the school in view of preparation of children for
today´s society; reasons for possible dissatisfaction; broad general
education or specialization as preferred measure to deal with rapid
social changes; attitude to the statement ´learning ends with school´;
attitude to further education in the personal area as well as in the
area of the working world; participation in voluntary and compulsory
further education events in the last year; attitude to life-long
government support for further education measures; preferred measures
to make participation in such education measures easier; institution
that should provide the finances for further education; personal
willingness to accept costs in further education events; possible role
of the EU in further education; most important reasons for respondent
to continually participate in further education; adequate preparation
of children through school in view of the information society; better
school training through use of new communication technologies; expected
changes of school education through new communication technologies;
self-assessment on a left-right continuum; possession of durable
economic goods; span of control. In Ireland the following additional
questions were posed: attitude to participation in the common European
currency in case of a refusal of the British; assessment of
participation of the EU in the peace process in Northern Ireland;
attitude to Irish participation in a common European defense. In Spain
the following additional questions were posed: extent to which informed
about the Spanish presidency in the Council of Ministers and
significance of this presidency. In Norway the following additional
questions were posed: judgement on the EU/EFTA-Agreements; conduct in
the referendum for the country to join the EU; areas in which progress
or disadvantages would be expected through membership of Norway;
expected membership of the country by the year 2005; expected effects
for Sweden through membership in the EU.

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