Nearly three quarters of Europeans say their country has benefited from EU membership, according to a new Eurobarometer survey published ahead of Europe Day.
The poll found 73% of respondents believe their country has benefited from being in the EU, while 75% said they feel they are citizens of the EU — a level matching the highest recorded in spring 2025, according to the European Commission’s release on Friday.
The EU was seen as a source of stability by 73% of respondents, up six percentage points, and 81% backed a common defence and security policy among member states.
Four in five people said the EU should diversify its trade relations (80%) and build partnerships with countries outside the bloc (79%).
Ukraine, trust and top concerns
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was seen as a threat to EU security by 76% of respondents, while 55% supported the EU’s response to the war, the survey found.
Large majorities supported specific measures, including welcoming people fleeing the war (80%), providing financial and humanitarian support (75%), and maintaining sanctions against Russia (70%).
Some 76% said the EU should continue supporting Ukraine until a “just and lasting peace” is achieved, while 57% approved of granting Ukraine EU candidate status and 56% backed EU financing for the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine.
Trust in the EU stood at 51%, up three percentage points compared with the Autumn 2025 survey, with the highest level among 15 to 24-year-olds at 61%.
Optimism about the EU’s future was at 60%, and 57% said they were satisfied with how democracy works in the EU.
The conflict in the Middle East was the most cited concern at EU level (25%), ahead of the broader international situation (23%) and Russia’s war against Ukraine (20%), the survey found.
Cost of living was the leading concern at national level (36%) and personal level (52%).
Support for the euro was 74% across the EU and 82% in the euro area.
The survey was conducted between 12 March and 5 April 2026, with 26,415 people interviewed face-to-face across the EU’s 27 member states.
