Many Europeans Believe Life Has Become Worse Since Joining The EU

The latest Financial Times/Harris Poll shows that except in Spain, majorities or pluralities of adults in the five largest European countries believe that life in their country has become worse since it became part of the European Union (EU) - not a vote of confidence for the EU. Spanish adults are the most positive about the effect that joining the EU has had on their country, with more than half (53%) stating that life has gotten better. In the other countries substantial proportions feel that life in their country has gotten worse since their countries joined the EU (Britain 52%, France 50%, Italy 47%, and Germany 44%).