Eurobarometer surveys provide an important insight into the European Commission’s role as an agenda setter

Since the early 1970s a series of ‘Eurobarometer’ public opinion surveys have been conducted across the EU on behalf of the European Commission. But can the nature and scope of these surveys provide some insights into the Commission’s role as an agenda setter? Markus Haverland, Minou de Ruiter and Steven van de Walle present findings from an analysis of 400 Special Eurobarometer reports published between 1970 and 2014. They write that the increasing number of Special Eurobarometers conducted and the topics covered highlight how the Commission’s agenda building and legitimacy enhancing strategies have developed throughout this period.