Trust in the European Union continues to taper off, hitting a record low with fewer than one in three expressing confidence in 2013.
The greatest drop in trust took place in countries in the peripheral south where the worst economic hardship and chronic unemployment have been shouldered.
EU trust ratings in Greece fell 44%, in Spain 37% and Portugal 32%. Overall, less than half the population in all but four countries claim they “tend to trust the EU”. The ratings are at their lowest level since records began in 1997.
Also unsurprising is the discovery that people in the UK have the least trust.
The EU commanded its greatest amount of support in 1991 when 71% of people within the area said they supported their country’s membership. Even then, the UK lagged behind with only 57% and that was the greatest level of support ever recorded in Britain.
Expressing opinions on trust provide an indication of how people rate the EU’s response to the banking meltdown over five long years. All member countries, save Finland and Sweden, have registered falls in trust since 2007.
But, at the same time, there has been no change in the belief that membership of the EU is a “good thing”. The rating of 50% across the region has remained constant over the last six years.
With elections due in May for the European Parliament, many observers are predicting that single-issue candidates will sweep up at the expense of centre parties. These include the Dutch anti-EU Freedom Party, Le Pen’s Front National in France, and UKIP.
