Most people in the EU say they feel worried about global developments, even as they remain largely optimistic about their own lives.
A majority of respondents (52%) said they were pessimistic about the future of the world, while 39% were pessimistic about the future of the EU and 41% about the future of their country, according to the European Parliament’s latest Eurobarometer survey.
By contrast, 76% said they were optimistic about their own future and that of their family, the parliamentary press service reported on Wednesday.
When asked about specific threats, 72% said they were concerned about conflicts near the EU, followed by terrorism (67%) and cyber-attacks from non-EU countries (66%).
Natural disasters worsened by climate change (66%) and uncontrolled migration flows (65%) were also widely cited concerns.
Communication-related worries were also common, with 69% saying they were concerned about disinformation and 68% about hate speech on- and offline, the results showed.
The same share (68%) said they were worried about fake content generated by artificial intelligence, while 68% pointed to insufficient data protection and 67% to threats to freedom of expression.
Cost of living tops list of domestic priorities
Inflation, rising prices and the cost of living was the issue most cited by respondents (41%) as a priority for the European Parliament to address, the survey found. The economy and job creation came next at 35% — a five percentage point rise since May 2025.
Most respondents expected their standard of living to remain stable over the next five years, but 28% said they anticipated a decline, according to the results.
The expectation of a falling standard of living was highest among respondents in France (45%), followed by Belgium and Slovakia (both 40%).
Asked what the EU should focus on at European level, 40% chose defence and security, 32% pointed to competitiveness, the economy and industry, and 29% to energy independence.
The poll also found broad backing for a bigger EU role in protection and security, with 66% saying they wanted the EU to participate in keeping them safe.
In addition, 89% said EU member states should be more united and 73% agreed the EU needs greater means to face current global challenges.
Peace was the value most respondents wanted the European Parliament to defend (52%), followed by democracy (35%), freedom of speech (23%), human rights (22%) and the rule of law (21%).
Support for EU membership remained high, with 62% saying their country’s membership is a good thing — up two points from when the question was last asked in February/March 2024 — the European Parliament said.
The Autumn 2025 Eurobarometer survey was carried out between 6 and 30 November 2025 across all 27 EU member states, based on 26,453 interviews.
