Memo: Public opinion on international trade

A public opinion survey was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social network between August and September 2010. The interviews were conducted among 26 635 EU citizens in the 27 Member States of the European Union. The methodology used is that of the Eurobarometer surveys1 and the technical details are set out in the annex to the report.

The European Commission decided to measure public opinion on international trade in order:
To analyse the impact of international trade on the lives of EU citizens;
To evaluate the perceived role of the EU in international trade;
and To assess the future challenges of European Union trade policy.

The findings have fed into the preparation of the EU's renewed trade policy and will form the basis for further reflections.