The EU and public opinions: a love-hate relationship?

The European Union has long sought to analyse the expectations of the public opinions which express a distrust that has increased in recent years. It is on the basis of this apparent paradox that Salvatore Signorelli has developed his study on tools that the EU uses to analyse the public opinion, and presents their origins, characteristics and use.

The most interesting aspect of this study is exactly the fact that highlights the attention paid by the EU to the expectations of its citizens, symbolized by 'Eurobarometer' surveys, contrary to the widespread impression that 'Brussels' acts and decides in a bubble of experts disconnected from the real world.

Another interesting part of the study is the number of references and data provided which allows to become familiar with the various tools of analysis of public opinion, and specifying how and to what extent the different European institutions use them.

Last but not least, Salvatore Signorelli puts into perspective the use of surveys commissioned by the European authorities, pointing out that they are not intended to replace the positions and messages relayed by the representatives of the citizens, but that they provide useful contributions in determining the orientations of the European construction.