This question aims to investigate respondents’ opinions on the first of REScEU's four divides, which separates actors and ideas supporting Europe as a neoliberal and market-enhancing project, from those in favour of correcting market forces in the name of solidarity.
This question aims to investigate respondents’ opinions on the first of REScEU’s four divides, which separates actors and ideas supporting Europe as a neoliberal and market-enhancing project, from those in favour of correcting market forces in the name of solidarity.
Overall, 61% of the respondents state that the top priority of the Union should be to ensure high levels of social protection for its citizens, while the remaining 39% supports instead fiscal stability and the competitiveness of the EU industry as priorities. Support for the market-correcting side of the divide is predominant in each of the six countries surveyed, but with interesting cross-country variations: Spain is the country in which this view is most widespread (75%), followed, quite surprisingly, by Germany (63%). Perhaps as surprising is that France is last, with 52% of respondents supporting social protection.
Photo Credits CC Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
This infographic is part of a series examining the results of an original seven-country mass survey conducted by REScEU. Click here to view all the contributions in the series.
Check the Survey PDF
«Political conditionality has been used to stave off some pressure by allowing stronger control on the policy. This in turn has allowed the policy to grow to be a successful institution. Was this a good deal or there are sunken costs whose consequences are still to unravel?»