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What Do Teenagers Think of Europe?

May 6, 2004

A survey of 11-15 year olds in France has revealed what future voters think of the European Union.

https://p.dw.com/p/507V

A vast majority (84 percent) of French teenagers believe that the European Union was created to make Europe "stronger in the world," while 75 percent think its main purpose is "to make people more free" and 71 percent say it is "to prevent wars." Reducing unemployment, a preoccupation of the adult population, is thought by only 32 percent of youngsters to be a reason to have the EU. Among the 500 11-15 year olds questioned in the independent survey by the Sofres polling institute, there is also a mixed picture on the importance of Europe. When asked what would change in their daily lives, nearly one in five answered "nothing" and 35 percent said "lots." Almost half of the respondents were of the opinion that the EU could only change "a few things." Brussels also gets short shrift as European capital among the teenagers, with only ten percent wanting it to be home to the EU. Six out of ten said Paris should be the European headquarters. (EUobserver.com)