Candidate Countries Eurobarometer 2001.1, October 2001: Life in the Candidate Countries, Attachment to Nationality and Identification with Europe, Contact with Other Countries and Cultures, and European Union Enlargement
The Candidate Countries Eurobarometer (CCEB) series, first conducted in 2001, gathers information from the countries applying to become members of the European Union (EU) in a way that allows direct comparison with the standard Eurobarometer series carried out in the existing EU countries. The CCEB provides decision-makers and the European public with opinion data on the similarities and differences between the EU and the candidate countries. The CCEB continuously tracks support for EU membership in each country, and records changes in attitudes related to European issues in the candidate countries. This round of the CCEB surveys represents the first wave of surveys conducted in October 2001 in the 13 candidate countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. Respondents were queried about life satisfaction and expectations, native tongue and foreign languages spoken, European countries visited and worked in, political discussion with friends, media use, trust in institutions such as the written press and churches, and national and European identity. Respondents were further questioned on knowledge of the EU, its image, role, membership process, and meaning and importance in the respondent's life. Respondents were also asked their opinions on EU enlargement, including whether a country was worthy of membership and what advantages the respondent, various groups, and the EU would have should a particular country be granted membership. Additionally, respondents were queried on what, if any, fears they had concerning the building of the EU. They were also asked what resources they would use to obtain information on the EU, how they would prefer to obtain that information, and on which topics they would like to get more information. Lastly, respondents were asked if they had access to devices such as computers, mobile phones, and fax machines. Demographic and other background information includes age, year of birth, gender, nationality, marital status, age when stopped full-time education and level of education, occupation, whether the respondent received government aid, vote intention, religious affiliation and participation, number of people in the household, if the respondent is the head of the household, household income, ownership of durable goods, type of community, and region of residence.
Candidate Countries Eurobarometer 2003.5, November-December 2003: Identities and Values, Financial Services and Consumer Protection, and Time Use in the Countries Applying for European Union Membership
The Candidate Countries Eurobarometer (CCEB) series, first conducted in 2001, gathers information from the countries applying to become members of the European Union (EU) in a way that allows direct comparison with the standard Eurobarometer series carried out in the existing EU countries. The CCEB provides decision-makers and the European public with opinion data on the similarities and differences between the EU and candidate countries. The CCEB continuously tracks support for EU membership in each country and records changes in attitudes related to European issues in the candidate countries. This round of the CCEB survey was conducted between November 20th and December 24th, 2003, in the 13 candidate countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. This survey queried respondents on the following: (1) identities and values, (2) financial services and consumer protection, and (3) time use. For the first major area of focus, identities and values, respondents were asked to define what is most important to them, in addition to their personal values and those values which best represent their country, the EU, the United States, and the Arab world. Respondents provided their opinion on statements pertaining to socio-political issues, selected activities with which they were involved, and determined whether they would be willing to learn an additional foreign language and the main motivation for doing so. In addition, the survey asked respondents to identify which topics they were interested, including politics, economics, arts and culture, music, sports, and lifestyles, and to which countries they felt the closest. For the second major area of focus, financial services, respondents were queried on their top three financial priorities, their thoughts about finances and financial services, and ownership of a financial account, investment, or loan. The survey queried respondents about their use of the phone and the Internet in financial transactions, obtaining a financial account, investment, loan, or other service from the EU in the past, and whether they would consider doing so in the next five years. Additional questions asked respondents about the obstacles which prevent the use of financial services anywhere in the EU, the means of payment used and preferred for an important purchase, their use of an electronic purse, as well as their opinion on the ease of carrying out eight particular activities with the banks and insurance companies, and their expectations about the advice provided by their financial institutions. Finally, respondents were asked about the harmonization of their respective countries' consumer protection standards with the EU's standards. For the third major area of focus, time use, respondents were queried about the number of hours they or their partner spent on paid or voluntary work, child care and household tasks, and attending courses, studying or training. Respondents also answered questions on whether they plan to reduce the number of hours they work, what they intend to do with the extra free time, the preferred duration of the reduction of working hours, and how the reduction in hours would be executed. Respondents provided their opinions on work before retirement, and identified their expected and desired retirement age, work and monetary expectations, and future plans when considering retirement. Answers regarding respondent satisfaction with the hours they spend on life style, health, household, and family related activities were also recorded. The survey also asked respondents about their ability to participate in continuing education, whether they had completed a training course, the number of hours they were involved in for the last course taken, and as to who paid and whether they received time off for the course. In addition, respondents examined the importance and availability of employee benefits at work, whether they had taken any of these benefits in the past 12 months, their satisfaction with these benefits, as well as the ability to partake in employee benefits, and who should pay for these benefits. Respondents identified the activities that had the most impact on their time, their satisfaction with different aspects of life, and expressed their opinion on the importance of making money, working part-time, and stress at work. Finally, the survey queried respondents about whether they worked in the national government or in a state-owned or private company, and the number of children or grandchildren in the household and who takes care of these children. Demographic and other background information includes age, gender, nationality, marital status, age when stopped full-time education and level of education, occupation, whether income was paid by the state, left right political self-placement, vote intention, religious affiliation and participation, household composition, main income earner in household and this person's occupation, household income, type of community, and region of residence.
Candidate Countries Eurobarometer 2002.2, September-October 2002: Life in the Candidate Countries, Attachment to Nationality and Identification with Europe, Contact with Other Countries and Cultures, and European Union Enlargement
The Candidate Countries Eurobarometer (CCEB) series, first conducted in 2001, gathers information from the countries applying to become members of the European Union (EU) in a way that allows direct comparison with the standard Eurobarometer series carried out in the existing EU countries. The CCEB provides decision-makers and the European public with opinion data on the similarities and differences between the EU and the candidate countries. The CCEB continuously tracks support for EU membership in each country and records changes in attitudes related to European issues in the candidate countries. This round of the CCEB surveys was conducted between September 2 and October 15, 2002, in the 13 candidate countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. Respondents were queried on such topics as life satisfaction and expectations, their native language, European countries visited and worked in, attitudes towards foreigners, trust in institutions, national and European identity, European currency, European elections, political participation, democracy satisfaction, and information media access. Respondents also answered questions focusing on their knowledge of the EU, as well as their opinion on its importance and meaning, national decision-making policies, policy priorities, image, membership, enlargement, unification, and constitution. Respondents were also asked questions about their awareness and familiarity with organizations like the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights. Background variables include nationality, age, gender, income, current occupation, whether the respondent was paid directly or indirectly by the state, local government, or other public administration, marital status, level of education, number of people living in household, whether anyone in the household owned a color television set, video recorder, video camera, automatic washing machine, dishwasher, home computer, microwave oven, mobile phone, or two or more cars, religious affiliation, how often religious services were attended, and voting intent.