Eurobarometer: 66% of respondents in Greece say living standards have fallen over recent period; 50% EU-wide

Eurobarometer this week cited what it calls the major negative influence of a prolonged period of high prices and inflation in both Europe and Greece.

The impact of multiple crises over recent years is evident, according to the EU pollster, as one in two respondents consider that their living standards have fallen, while forecasting that this trend will continue over the coming year. For Greece, the figure stands at 66 percent, worse than the EU average.

Furthermore, 85 percent of Greek respondents said they’re not satisfied with the measures taken in the country to tackle rising cost of living (65 percent in the EU), while 78 percent are not satisfied with actions taken by the EU.

At the same time, more than sever out of 10 Europeans consider that actions by the Union have had an impact on their daily lives, with this figure reaching 82 percent in Greece.

In fact, 56 percent of Greek respondents said the European Parliament wants to prioritize the fight against poverty and social exclusion, compared to 38 percent EU wide.

Beyond that, 54 percent of respondents (34 percent in Greece) say they’re satisfied with the way democracy works in the EU. Regarding specific aspects of democracy at EU level, citizens expressed higher satisfaction with free and fair elections (70 percent), freedom of speech (70 percent) and respect for fundamental rights (66 percent), while they were less satisfied with the fight against misinformation and corruption. In Greece, respondents expressed mostly satisfaction on the issue of free and fair elections (63 percent), followed by media diversity (62 percent) and freedom of speech (60 percent).