Greeks are EU’s pessimists
Greeks are the least satisfied of Europe’s citizens with the life they lead, but they also expect the EU to help them improve their lot, the latest Europe-wide opinion survey by the Eurobarometer agency has found. The biannual report published this month (from fieldwork done from October 17 to November 17), which registers the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks, found that 83 percent of the EU’s citizens are satisfied with the life they lead. Greeks are right at the bottom of the list, with 40 percent saying they that they were «not satisfied» with their life, 51 percent saying they were «fairly satisfied» and only 9 percent «very satisfied.» The EU average showed that 16 percent were not satisfied, 62 percent fairly satisfied and 21 percent very satisfied. The Portuguese were the only ones close to the Greeks, with 35 percent registering lack of satisfaction with their lives. This contrasted with Denmark’s mere 4 percent who were dissatisfied and the massive 64 percent who were very satisfied. Greeks were also the least optimistic about what this year will bring, with 27 percent saying they expected things to be worse than the previous year (a 5-percent increase in pessimism since the survey carried out in spring 2001). Thirty-five percent expected things to stay the same and another 35 percent expected them to get better. The EU average was 8 percent for those who feared things would get worse, 54 percent for those who expected them to stay the same, and 33 percent for those who awaited improvement. Overall, the study found that in the aftermath of September 11, 86 percent of Europeans say that they personally fear terrorism (12 percentage points more than one year earlier), 79 percent fear the proliferation of nuclear, bacteriological or chemical weapons of mass destruction (a jump of 17 percent) and 64 percent fear a world war (a rise of 19 points). There is also greater confidence in the European Union and its institutions, with an average of 53 percent of EU citizens expressing trust in the EU, up from 41 percent the previous spring, while only 32 percent lacked trust in it (down from 40 percent). Here, 70 percent of Greeks expressed trust in the EU, just behind Luxembourg’s 73 percent. Only in Britain and Sweden did the majority not trust the EU. Also, 61 percent of those surveyed expressed support for the euro, with this rising to 68 percent among those whose countries are members of the eurozone. Greeks, with the Irish, were the most enthusiastic about the euro (each with 79 percent in favor, behind only Luxembourg with 84 percent). With regard to the top three most widely trusted institutions in their country, Greeks listed the army (88 percent), the justice system (69 percent) and religious institutions (65 percent). Based on figures for areas with the highest crime rates, schedules for foot patrols are being reviewed in order to achieve a better distribution of forces. The introduction of foot patrols has been one of the more successful attempts at fighting common crime, chiefly as a deterrent.
