Slovenians are very happy with their lives and exceedingly optimistic about the future, according to the spring Eurobarometer report for Slovenia. They are also pleased with membership of the EU and very optimistic about the future of the bloc.
The results of the spring Eurobarometer survey are very positive and optimistic for Slovenia, Tina Voncina of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia said as she presented the report on Wednesday.
The survey shows some 91% Slovenians very pleased with their lives, up two points over the year before. This puts Slovenia at the number one spot among the ten member states that joined the bloc in 2004. The average across the EU27 is 80%, whereby the Danes, the Dutch and the Swedes are the happiest nations (97%). Moderately optimistic about the future, 34% told pollsters that they expected their lives to improve in the coming year, an increase of 7 points over the autumn survey. The majority (54%) however expect no changes.Some 28% (up 5 points) are convinced that Slovenia's economy will improve next year, with 44% saying there would be no big changes. Quizzed about the benefits of EU membership, 58% said it was good for Slovenia, 8% deem it bad and 34% are neutral. The share of positive replies puts Slovenia on par with the EU average, but the number of those who deem membership a bad thing is lower than in the EU. The survey also shows 75% sharing the view that Slovenia has gained with EU membership, which places the country seventh in the block alongside Greece and Spain. Most Slovenians still associate the EU primarily with the euro (54%), but they also see benefits in free movement across the borders, as well as studying and working abroad.
Compared to the people in other EU countries, Slovenians have above-average confidence in EU institutions and they are the best informed among all EU nations about the work of the EU and European issues. They are also very optimistic about the future of the bloc, as 80% view the future with optimism, which places Slovenia in second place overall.
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