EurobarometerThe EU remains popular in Luxembourg, poll reveals

Hardly surprising for a country considered the epicentre of the European Union, Luxembourg remains broadly satisfied with the EU. On Wednesday, the latest Eurobarometer results were presented at the Maison de l’Europe in Luxembourg City.

Just over 500 residents of the Grand Duchy took part in interviews in November 2018 - of those surveyed, 62% had Luxembourgish citizenship and the remaining 38% had other European citizenships.

We’ve broken down the main takeaways from the survey.

Healthy economy, healthy home situation

• Globally, 91% of respondents believed that Luxembourg’s economy is in a good state. Compared to other European nations, only the Netherlands and Malta had a higher estimation of their own economies. Our French neighbours, on the other hand, place less confidence in their country’s economic situation: only a quarter of respondents shared optimism about their country’s financial situation. Looking at the European economic situation, 56% of Luxembourg’s residents viewed it as healthy.

• 85% of respondents in the Grand Duchy expressed satisfaction with the financial situation of their own household. However, in a contradictory turn, half of those surveyed also believed they had difficulties making ends meet. It is perhaps likely that respondents relativised their own financial difficulties in declaring themselves satisfied.

• On a national scale, residents remain concerned by three predominant subjects - housing (56%), the cost of living (29%), and the educational system (18%). With these main concerns, Luxembourg differs from other European countries, which predominantly worry about immigration and unemployment. On a European level, however, Luxembourgish residents share the same concerns as other Europeans, as they consider immigration to the EU (41%) and the state of public finances in the EU (20%) to be the main issues.

• Luxembourg’s residents also showed themselves remarkable in two ways: first of all, Luxembourg is the country where the fewest residents worry about retirement (7% of those polled) and second, 4 out of 5 respondents are satisfied with democracy in Luxembourg. This faith in democracy is the second highest in the entire European Union.

Luxembourg, a Europhile stronghold

• 56% of Luxembourgers have a positive image of the European Union, which is no doubt a reassurance compared to the wave of Euroscepticism coursing through the EU. The EU average of a positive perception of the institution was 43% in this latest survey. It is worth noting that the British are average in terms of their favourable or unfavourable opinion on the EU.

• Luxembourg’s residents above all appreciate the EU for its freedom to travel, to study, and to work throughout its member states. Peace, the Euro, and its cultural diversity are also valued. However, 21% believe the EU represents a waste of money. A further 20% dislike its bureaucracy.

• 59% of respondents identify as both Luxembourgish and European. They highlight culture, history, languages, and values that create a sense of community. Those crucial values for the respondents are peace, respecting human lives and human rights.

Faith in the future

• 62% of Luxembourg’s residents believe that the Grand Duchy is heading in the right direction. Our neighbours appear to have less faith in their respective countries: only 50% of Belgians are confident, compared to even less confident Germans (38%) and French (21%) residents.

• While Luxembourgers are confident the Grand Duchy is heading in the right drection, they have a little less faith in the EU as a whole. 53% believe the EU is heading in the right direction, which is 5% less than in 2018. However, again, our immediate neighbours are much more pessimistic.

Migration, a delicate subject

• Migration has remained a delicate topic across Europe for years. In an unsurprising move, 82% of Luxembourgish respondents supported additional measures to “solve the irregular immigration problem”, whilst 79% also remain supportive of internal EU migration and supporting refugees.

• Again, Luxembourgers had a different view compared to other Europeans. 53% of Europeans expressed themselves negatively towards non-EU immigration. However, in Luxembourg, critics of non-EU immigration only made up 34% of respondents.