How attached do European citizens feel to their country, the EU and Europe?

On 6-9^th of June, European citizens gathered and headed to the polls to vote for their new representatives at the European Parliament. Verian experts followed this democratic event closely by capturing people’s opinions and behaviours in the run up to these elections. This was done though our Eurobarometer survey conducted for the European Commission in April-May 2024. The Standard Eurobarometer 101 provides interesting findings about the state of European public opinion, including the subjective feeling of attachment towards both the European Union and Europe throughout all 27 Member States. 

Many factors, such as trust in government and the economic situation of a country, can influence voter turnout and election results. However, one factor that is often understated is the subjective feeling of attachment towards one’s city, region, country, or in this specific case, towards the European Union.

More than nine EU citizens in ten (91%) feel attached to their country, with 53% stating that they feel “very attached”. In contrast, around six in ten (61%) feel attached to the European Union, with only 15% feeling “very attached”. While the attachment towards one’s country does not vary among EU Member States (as it tends to hover around the 80% mark in each country), attachment towards the EU does vary significantly among EU Member States. The lowest rates of attachment towards the EU are found in Czechia (40%), Greece (45%), and Cyprus (52%) while the highest rates are found in Luxembourg (76%), Latvia (75 %), and Poland (72%). Since Autumn 2023, the feeling of attachment to the EU has increased in 20 Member States, with the highest increases being found in Latvia (+9 percentage points), Belgium and Slovakia (+8 pp in both cases) and the largest decrease is found in Poland (-4 pp).

In terms of the feeling of attachment towards Europe as a whole, 69% of respondents say they feel attached to Europe, with the highest proportion of respondents being found in Denmark (86%), Sweden (85%) and Luxembourg (84%). Comparatively, the lowest proportion of respondents that feel attached to Europe are found in Greece (47%), Cyprus (53%) and Estonia (58%). Since the last Standard Eurobarometer, attachment to Europe has increased in 20 countries, most notably in Latvia and Hungary (+7 pp in both cases).

When comparing the feeling of attachment towards the EU to that of Europe in general, we find that respondents in all countries feel more attached to Europe than the European Union, except for Portugal where it is the same.