Flash Eurobarometer 257 (Views on European Union enlargement)

Attitudes towards the enlargement of the European Union after the fall of the iron curtain.<br>Topics: attitude towards the following statements on the changes following the fall of the iron curtain: have brought more freedom to European citizens, resulted in better living standards in Central and Eastern Europe, created new opportunities only for the younger generation, contributed to the disappearance of borders, were only important for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, have offered good business opportunities for Western European countries in Central and Eastern Europe; assessment of the overall impact of the changes: considerable improvement of quality of life in Central and Eastern European countries, situation in these countries before the fall of the iron curtain was better than today, life in the own country is more insecure now; attitude towards selected statements on the integration of Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union: has helped to preserve security and stability in Europe, problem of different values and cultures, spreads democratic values and the protection of human rights across Europe, lowered social standards in Europe, increased prosperity, increased the feeling of insecurity, increased European security with regard to the fight against organised crime and illegal immigration, has led to economic modernisation in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, need for massive financial transfers to Central and Eastern European countries, increased free movement of people, makes the EU more difficult to manage; most important issues with regard to decisions on further enlargement of the EU for: EU as whole, own country, personally.

Demography: sex; age; occupation; professional position; type of community; highest completed level of full time education.

Additionally coded was: respondent ID; interviewer ID; language of the interview; country; date of interview; time of the beginning of the interview; duration of the interview; type of phone line; region; weighting factor.