Eurobarometer 44.2bis (1996)

Ideas about the further development of the EU. Attitudes, knowledge, expectations and preferences. Topics: Nationality (multiple response possible); general contentment with life; preferred national as well as regional daily newspaper, TV station and radio station; regularity of use of selected sources of information; interest in politics; personal opinion leadership; intensity of use of news on TV, radio and daily newspapers; self-assessment of extent to which informed about the policies and institutions of the EU; attention regarding European topics in the last three months such as e. g. common European market, Treaty of Maastricht, Europe of two speeds, discussion about new member countries, summit meeting in Madrid and European currency union; description of expected development of the European Union in pair comparisons; approval of unification of Europe; approval of membership of the country in the European Union; advantageousness of membership of the country in the EU; assessment of the current speed of unification and desired speed of unification of Europe; perceived obstacles for unification of Europe; attitude to an expansion of the European Union; European citizenship or national consciousness; personal decision with a hypothetical referendum for or against membership in the European Union; attitude to the slogan ´let us shape a common Europe´; most important development steps for further development of a common Europe; preferred countries for new acceptance into the EU; selected political areas in which the European Union should be more active; feared negative developments in the European Union and assessment of probability of occurrence of these developments; assessment of the influence of the opinion of the people on decisions of the national government as well as decisions of the institution of the European Union; preference for national or European decision-making authority in selected political areas; national politicians, associations, organizations, parties, institutions and media that stand for believable information about the EU; most important rights of a European citizen; hope in the common European market; judgment on selected recommendations for the development of European policies; attitude to treating the newly arriving Eastern European countries equally with the less developed regions in Europe; knowledge test about the correct number of member countries, European personalities, the name of the common currency, currency questions, flag and presidency; acceptance of the name EURO for the new currency; knowledge about the primary expenditure in the European budget; interest in increased information about the European Union; interest in new sources of information about the EU, such as e. g. telephone queries, special fax queries and opportunities of computer queries as well as special information offices about the EU; availability to respondent of information technology such as video recorder, fax device, satellite reception, decoder for Pay-TV, teletext, computer, CD-ROM, modem and Internet; trust in the European Commission, the national government, the European Parliament, the national parliament and the council of ministers; attitude to a federal structure for the European Union; assumed attitude of selected occupational groups, associations and organizations to European unification and designation of those gaining the greatest advantages from unification; countries profiting the most from the EU; self-classification on a left-right continuum; party preference (closeness and Sunday question); rural or urban residential area; possession of a telephone and reasons for not having a telephone. The following question was also posed to farmers and those helping in agricultural companies: primary harvest month. Additionally encoded were: date of interview; time at start of interview; length of interview; number of persons present during interview; willingness of respondent to cooperate.