EU citizens are divided on their perception of rule of law

Published in July 2024, the latest Special Eurobarometer conducted by Verian presents EU citizens’ opinions regarding the rule of law, its respect on a national level and the EU’s support to protect it.

EU citizens’ perception of equality before the law

EU citizens were asked whether they agreed with the statement that, on the national level, the same laws and rules apply equally to every person, including all public authorities, irrespective of their personal circumstances, social status, wealth, political connections or origin. Results from the Eurobarometer revealed this to be a divisive issue, with 49% of respondents agreeing with the statement and 49% disagreeing (2% have no opinion on the question). The balance is relatively similar in the subdivisions of these two groups: about one sixth of all the respondents ‘totally agree’ (13%) or ‘totally disagree’ (17%), while around one third ‘tend to agree’ (36%) or ‘tend to disagree’ (32%).

There are key differences depending on the respondents’ country of residence. In 14 of the 27 EU Member States, an absolute majority of respondents agree with the statement that the same laws and rules apply equally to every person. Agreement with this sentiment was particularly high in Austria (67%). the Netherlands and Denmark (65% each) also demonstrated high agreeability, with more than one third of the respondents totally agreeing (35% and 33% respectively). On the other hand, less than half of the respondents agree with this statement in the other 13 EU Member States. Less than one in three respondents agree in four countries: Bulgaria (24%), Cyprus and Malta (both 29%), and Spain (32%). One third or more of the respondents ‘totally disagree’ in Spain (34%) and in Bulgaria (33%).

Socio-demographics analysis

Differences of opinions are significant depending on the social class that Eurobarometer respondents identify with. For respondents that consider themselves as working class, an absolute majority disagree with the statement that the same laws and rules apply to everyone (55% vs. 42% agree), while more than two thirds of people who consider themselves upper class agree (68% vs. 31% disagree).

In addition, notable differences can be observed based on the respondents’ perception of the EU. People who have a positive image of the EU are more likely to agree with the statement (57% vs. 41% disagree), compared to respondents who have a negative perception (31% agree vs. 67% disagree).

Finally, a correlation can be observed between the degree of interest in European political matters and whether respondents agree with the statement. An absolute majority of respondents who frequently discuss European political matters agree with the statement that the same laws and rules apply to everyone (58% vs. 42% disagreeing). Meanwhile, more than half of the respondents who never talk of these topics disagree with this statement (56% against 31% agreeing).