Eurobarometer 58.1: The Euro, European Enlargement, and Financial Services, October-November 2002 (ICPSR 3731)

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This round of Eurobarometer surveys queried respondents on standard Eurobarometer measures, such as how satisfied they were with their present life, whether they attempted to persuade others close to them to share their views on subjects they held strong opinions about, whether they discussed political matters, and what the priorities of the European Union (EU) should be. Additional questions focused on the respondents' knowledge of and opinions about the European Union, including how well informed they felt about the EU, what sources of information about the EU they used, and whether their country had benefited from being an EU member. Other variables included respondents' expectations regarding employment, and their present and future economic and financial situation. Opinions regarding various European institutions, such as the European Parliament, the European Central Bank, and the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union were elicited. Respondents were asked whether issues such as defense, currency, and cultural policy should be handled by the nation's government or jointly with the EU, and whether issues such as welcoming new member countries, protecting the environment, or fighting terrorism were priorities the EU should undertake. Respondents were asked whether it was a good thing that the euro replaced their national currency, how comfortable they felt using the euro, to what degree they were attached to the single currency, whether they still felt a personal attachment to their previous currency, whether they felt that in the conversion to the euro, prices had generally been rounded down, rounded up, or not rounded at all, and whether they felt this was the case in all areas or only in certain areas. Respondents were further queried on their views regarding the EU enlargement. Specifically, respondents were asked how informed they were about the EU enlargement, whether they had read, seen, or been told about the enlargement via various media such as radio, newspapers, television, the Internet, books, brochures, or national or regional government offices, whether they were in favor of or opposed to particular countries joining the EU, their preferred option for the immediate future of the EU with regard to the enlargement (i.e., whether the EU should include all, some, or none of the countries wishing to join), whether certain groups (small or large businesses, the elderly, and ethnic minorities) would benefit or lose out as a result of enlargement, and whether they agreed or disagreed with statements regarding the EU enlargement (e.g., having more countries in the EU will mean more guaranteed peace and security in Europe, the EU should financially help future member countries before they join, and the EU should reform the way its institutions work before welcoming new members). Questions regarding financial services probed for respondents' opinions on whether consumer protection standards should be harmonized within the EU, obstacles preventing consumers from using financial services in the EU, and what sort of feelings the respondent had when thinking about their finances and financial services (e.g., comforted or intimidated). Respondents were asked to identify their top three financial priorities, choosing from the following: paying bills, paying off debt, buying a house, providing financial security for family in the event of unemployment, and saving for emergencies or retirement. Respondents were also asked to provide information on whether they had a checkbook, credit cards, life insurance policy, car and other loans, mortgage, or stocks/shares, and whether they would consider obtaining any of these items from another country. The survey also collected information on respondents' preferred method of paying for significant purchases (e.g., with cash, check, credit card, or bank transfer) inside and outside of their own country, and the reasons for this payment preference. Finally, respondents indicated whether or not they agreed with a series of statements regarding financial institutions, such as (1) having a bank account is too expensive, (2) buying on credit is more useful than dangerous, (3) the marketing techniques of financial institutions are aggressive, (4) financial transactions are generally secure, and (5) transactions on the Internet are generally secure. Demographic and other background information collected includes respondents' age, gender, nationality, marital status, left-right political self-placement, occupation, age at completion of education, household income, type and size of locality, and region of residence.

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