Europeans attitudes towards security Survey requested by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs and co-ordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors. Fieldwork Publication December 2017 Wave TNS opinion & social
Europeans attitudes towards security Survey conducted by TNS opinion & political at the request of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs Survey co-ordinated by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM Media monitoring and analysis Unit)
Project number 2017.6252 Project title Europeans attitudes towards security Linguistic version EN Catalogue number DR-05-17-012-EN-N ISBN 978-92-79-73522-6 doi:10.2837/889432 European Union, 2017 http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion
October 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 KEY FINDINGS 4 I. PERCEPTION OF SECURITY AT VARIOUS LEVELS 5 II. IMPORTANCE OF SPECIFIC CHALLENGES TO EU SECURITY 15 III. PERCEPTION OF NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ACTION IN FIGHTING SPECIFIC THREATS 26 IV. ATTITUDES TOWARDS COOPERATION OF POLICE AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT TO COMBAT CRIME AND TERRORISM 38 1 National cooperation between police and other law enforcement 38 2 International cooperation between police and other law enforcement authorities 40 CONCLUSION 45 ANNEXES Technical specifications Questionnaire Tables 1
October 2016 INTRODUCTION This report brings together the results regarding security issues, of the Special Eurobarometer public opinion survey towards security and cyber security carried out in the 28 European Union countries. Security has arguably been a greater issue for Europeans in the last years than at any time since a generation ago. Armed conflict on the EU s doorstep, foreign terrorist fighters returning to the EU from conflict zones, and, in the three years, a series of terrorist attacks within the EU contribute to making security and in particular terrorism at the top of Europeans' concerns. The aim of this report is to analyse the results of the questions asked regarding citizens overall awareness, experiences and perceptions of security. The survey explores the issue of security by looking at a whole host of areas: overall perceptions of security and threats, perceptions of the actions taken by the police and other law enforcement authorities to combat those threats, and their attitudes toward national and international cooperation in dealing with the various security challenges faced by the Member States of the EU. The questions are based on those asked in Special Eurobarometer 371 on Internal Security (June 2011), Special Eurobarometer 380 on Awareness of Home Affairs (December 2011) and Special Eurobarometer 432 on Europeans Attitudes Toward Security (March 2015). Where relevant, comparisons are made with the results of those surveys. This survey was carried out by TNS Political & Social network in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU) between 13 and 26. Some 28,093 EU citizens from different social and demographic categories were interviewed face-to-face at home and in their native language on behalf of the Directorate-General for Communication. The methodology used is that of the Standard Eurobarometer surveys carried out by the Directorate-General for Communication ( Media Monitoring and Analysis Unit) 1. It is the same for all countries and territories covered in the survey. A technical note concerning the interviews conducted by the member institutes of the TNS Opinion & Social network is annexed to this report. It also specifies the confidence intervals 2. 1 http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion 2 The results tables are annexed. It should be noted that the total of the percentages indicated in the tables in this report may exceed 100% when the respondent was able to choose several answers to the same question. 2
October 2016 Note: In this report, countries are referred to by their official abbreviation. The abbreviations used in this report correspond to: Belgium BE Lithuania LT Bulgaria BG Luxembourg LU Czech Republic CZ Hungary HU Denmark DK Malta MT Germany DE The Netherlands NL Estonia EE Austria AT Ireland IE Poland PL Greece EL Portugal PT Spain ES Romania RO France FR Slovenia SI Croatia HR Slovakia SK Italy IT Finland FI Republic of Cyprus CY* Sweden SE Latvia LV United Kingdom UK European Union weighted average for the 28 Member States EU28 * Cyprus as a whole is one of the 28 European Union Member States. However, the acquis communautaire has been suspended in the part of the country which is not controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus. For practical reasons, only the interviews carried out in the part of the country controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus are included in the CY category and in the EU28 average. We wish to thank the respondents throughout the European Union who have given their time to take part in this survey. Without their active participation, this study would not have been possible. 3
October 2016 KEY FINDINGS While a large majority of Europeans feel secure in their immediate city and neighbourhood, they are less convinced that the EU is a secure place to live in Around nine in ten respondents say that their neighbourhood or their city are secure places to live in (91% and 90%, respectively), and over eight in ten (82%) say the same about their country. However, the proportion of those who think that the EU is a secure place to live in has fallen significantly: just over two thirds (68%) say so in this survey compared to almost eight in ten (79%) in 2015. Respondents with higher levels of education are somewhat more likely to feel secure in their own surroundings, in their country and in the EU more generally. A large majority of respondents regard terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime as key challenges to the EU security Respondents continue to regard challenges to the internal security of the EU as important, particularly terrorism (95%) and organised crime (93%). Over eight in ten (87%) see cybercrime as important; a significant increase compared to the 80% recorded in March 2015. Opinions differ from country to country on how important these security issues are, but there is a general consensus that they are important overall. There are mixed opinions on whether the national authorities are doing enough to tackle various security problems. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents think that enough is being done by national authorities to combat terrorism and over half (53%) think enough is being done to fight drug trafficking. Almost half of the respondents think enough is being done by national authorities to fight cybercrime (49%), arms trafficking and human trafficking and sexual exploitation (both 46%). On the other hand, half of the respondents (51%) think that not enough is being done by the national authorities to fight corruption and close to half (46%) think the same way about fighting money laundering. Moreover, 43% believe that the law enforcement actions in the area of human trafficking and sexual exploitation are insufficient. A significant majority of respondents in all countries agree on the need to share information within the EU to better fight crime and terrorism In most countries, a majority of respondents think that cooperation between the police and other national law enforcement authorities is adequate to fight crime and terrorism. Almost all respondents (92%) agree that national authorities should share information with the authorities of the other EU Member States to better fight crime and terrorism. 4
October 2016 I. PERCEPTION OF SECURITY AT VARIOUS LEVELS Respondents were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with four statements about public security. 3 This question was also asked in the 2011 and 2015 surveys. Broadly, the results confirm the feeling of security identified in previous surveys, although there has been a significant change in the perceptions of the EU, as a whole, as a secure place to live in. - While a large majority of Europeans feel secure in their immediate city and neighbourhood, they are less convinced that the EU is a secure place to live in - Just over nine out of ten (91%) respondents say that their immediate neighbourhood is a secure place to live in, a figure which is essentially the same as in the previous two surveys. Nearly six in ten (57%) totally agree with this statement, while just over a third (34%) tend to agree. Nine out of ten (90%) people agree that their city, town or village is a secure place to live in. Again, this figure is almost identical to the 89% of respondents who gave this answer in the previous two surveys. Just over half (52%) of those polled totally agree with this statement, while just under four in ten (38%) tend to agree. The proportion of respondents who agree that their country is a secure place to live in is slightly lower, although it is still a substantial majority of those surveyed. Just over eight in ten (82%) respondents agree with this statement, a figure unchanged since March 2015. Respondents are somewhat less convinced on this question, with less than four in ten (37%) totally agreeing, compared with nearly half (45%) who tend to agree. Just over two thirds (68%) of respondents agree that the EU is a secure place to live in. Around a quarter (23%) of respondents totally agree and approximately half (45%) tend to agree with this statement. While this is still a clear majority, it should be seen in the context of previous surveys, when around eight in ten (80%) of those polled agreed with this statement. The previous survey occurred just after the attacks in Charlie Hebdo of January 2015 and before the number of terrorist attacks that affected the EU since then. This decrease therefore has probably some roots in the political impact and aftermath of these events, which seem to have had a limited impact on how respondents perceive their own personal safety, but a higher impact on how they perceive European security more generally. 3 QB1. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about public security? 1. The EU is a safe place to live in. 2. (OUR COUNTRY) is a safe place to live in. 3. Your city, town or village is a safe place to live in. 4. Your immediate neighbourhood is a secure place to live in. Possible answers: Totally agree; Tend to agree; Tend to disagree; Totally disagree; Don t know. 5
October 2016 QB1 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about public security? (% EU) Totally agree Tend to agree Total 'Disagree' Don't know YOUR IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD IS A SECURE PLACE TO LIVE IN 57 34 8 1 March 2015 53 37 9 1 December 2011 53 37 9 1 YOUR CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE IS A SECURE PLACE TO LIVE IN 52 38 9 1 March 2015 47 42 10 1 December 2011 49 40 10 1 (OUR COUNTRY) IS A SECURE PLACE TO LIVE IN 37 45 17 1 March 2015 35 47 17 1 December 2011 36 48 15 1 THE EU IS A SECURE PLACE TO LIVE IN 23 45 28 4 March 2015 27 52 17 4 December 2011 28 53 16 3 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 6
June October 2017 2016 There are significant regional variations on each of these questions. In all but four of the 28 Member States, at least half of the respondents 'totally agree' that their neighbourhood is a secure place to live in, but this varies from just over half of those polled in Slovakia (51%), France (52%) and the Czech Republic (53%) to over eight in ten (82%) of respondents in Denmark and nearly nine in ten (89%) in Finland 4. By contrast, only just over three in ten (31%) respondents in Italy 'totally agree' with this statement, as do a minority of those in Bulgaria (41%), Romania (47%), and Belgium (49%). Despite the extent of differences in total agreement the level of general agreement with this statement is of at least 80% in all Member States. In fact, in none of the countries do more than a fifth of respondents 'disagree' with the statement. Indeed, in 23 of the 28 Member States, less than one in ten 'disagrees'. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 4 It should be noted that the survey was conducted in, before the attack that took place in Turku, Finland in August 2017. 7
June October 2017 2016 In 19 of the 28 Member States, at least half of those polled 'totally agree' that their city, town or village is a secure place to live in, which reflects a similar pattern than the previous question. However, again, the proportions of those who give these answers vary significantly: from half (50%) of those polled in Greece to over three quarters of respondents in the Netherlands (77%), Denmark (78%) and Finland (81%). Again, the level of general agreement with this statement is of at least 80% in all Member States. Consistently, the proportion of respondents who 'disagree' with the statement does not exceed a fifth of those polled in any country. Just under a fifth of respondents in Italy (16%) and Bulgaria (17%) 'disagree' that their city, town or village is a secure place to live in, compared with almost none in Finland (2%), Portugal (2%) and Malta (1%). Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 8
June October 2017 2016 Compared with the previous two statements, a lower proportion of respondents 'totally agree' that their country is a secure place to live in. This time, in only a minority of countries do more than half of those polled 'totally agree' with the statement. Again, the lowest proportion of respondents who 'totally agree' is found in Italy, where just under a fifth of respondents (19%) do so. It is also particularly low in the United Kingdom (22%), France (23%) and Belgium (26%). However, the level of general agreement with the statement continues to be high in all Member States (at least 70%) and in 11 of the 28 Member States, at least half of the respondents 'totally agree' that their country is secure, with over two thirds saying so in Finland (67%), Denmark (67%) and the Netherlands (69%). Despite this high level of agreement, there is more variation between countries among those who 'disagree' with the statement than in the previous two statements. In Bulgaria (26%), Italy (27%), the United Kingdom (27%) and France (28%), over a quarter of those polled 'disagree' that their country is a secure place to live in, while in all other countries, less than a fifth of respondents do so. However, there is still significant variation of results across the remaining 24 countries: nearly a fifth of respondents 'disagree' in Cyprus (19%), Romania (19%) and Belgium (19%) compared with very few respondents who do so in Portugal (2%), Malta and Finland (both 3%). Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 9
June October 2017 2016 On the question of whether the EU is a secure place to live in, the level of general agreement is significantly lower than that of the previous three statements and there is considerably more variation on the levels of agreement across countries. In all Member States a majority of respondents agree with the statement, although in all of them only a minority of respondents 'totally agree', and in all but one case less than four in ten respondents do so. The exception is the Netherlands where 43% of respondents totally agree with the statement that the EU is a secure place to live in. In 15 of the 28 Member States, less than a fifth of respondents do so, with the proportions being particularly low in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (all 11%). In most countries where only a small minority of respondents 'totally agree' with the statement, the proportion of those who 'disagree' is significantly higher than the average. The highest levels of disagreement are found in Cyprus (46%) and the Czech Republic (48%), despite not having been subject to the most recent waves of terrorist attacks. They are closely followed by Bulgaria (45%), Greece (44%) and Italy (43%). By contrast, the lowest levels of disagreement are observed in the Netherlands (12%), Luxembourg (15%), Germany (17%) and Austria (18%). Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 10
October 2016 The extent of country-level change since the March 2015 survey is greater for some questions than others. The overall picture is that of limited changes in people s perceptions about the security of their country and of the place where they live, but of a decrease in people s perception about the security in the EU as a whole. On the question of the security of the immediate neighbourhood, in all but one country the variation is lower than ten percentage points. In 21 of the 28 Member States, the proportion of respondents who agree with this statement has increased since the last survey, with the largest increases observed in Lithuania (+10pp.) Portugal (+7pp.) and Hungary (+7pp.). With the exception of Lithuania (+10pp.) and Bulgaria (+11pp.), the change in the proportion of respondents who agree that their city, town or village is a secure place to live in remains limited. In 21 of the 28 Member States, the proportion of respondents who give this answer has increased, although in most cases only slightly. There is no significant decrease in the proportion of respondents who agree with this question across Member States. However, with regard to the statement on whether the respondent s country is a secure place to live in, results have changed significantly in a few Member States since 2015. In most Member States respondents are now more likely to see their country as a secure place to live in while in a few other Member States respondents have the opposite perception. In Bulgaria, the proportion of respondents who agree with this statement has increased by 15 percentage points since March 2015, with significant increases also noted in Hungary, Lithuania and Cyprus (all +12pp.). On the other side, in the United Kingdom the proportion of those giving this answer has fallen by 14 percentage points and in France it has fallen by 11 percentage points. The proportion of those who agree that the EU is a secure place to live in has decreased since the last survey in all Member states, with the exception of Austria where there has been no change. In ten Member States the decrease is limited, but in the other 17 countries there have been substantial changes. The largest changes occur in Estonia and Poland, where the proportions of those who agree with the statement that the EU is a secure place to live in have decreased by 25 percentage points since 2015. Nearly such great changes have occurred in Bulgaria (-24 pp.), in Latvia and in the Czech Republic (both -23 pp.). It is notable that despite the fact that countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic have not been directly affected by the recent wave of terrorist attacks in the EU, they still marked significant changes in general perceptions of security. 11
October 2016 QB1 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about public security? (% TOTAL 'AGREE') Your immediate neighbourhood is a secure place to live in Mar. 2015 Your city, town or village is a secure place to live in Mar. 2015 (OUR COUNTRY) is a secure place to live in Mar. 2015 The EU is a secure place to live in Mar. 2015 EU28 91 1 90 1 82 = 68 11 BE 92 1 90 2 81 7 79 6 BG 81 6 82 11 72 15 47 24 CZ 93 6 92 7 91 10 49 23 DK 97 = 96 2 94 2 81 9 DE 94 1 93 = 89 2 80 6 EE 94 2 95 3 94 3 61 25 IE 97 3 94 3 92 2 69 18 EL 89 4 87 3 84 4 53 21 ES 95 3 95 3 91 4 74 6 FR 89 3 88 4 71 11 67 12 HR 96 5 95 5 89 7 63 14 IT 84 5 83 7 71 9 52 11 CY 91 3 89 6 81 12 51 7 LV 90 3 91 4 86 7 56 23 LT 94 10 95 10 88 12 68 13 LU 97 3 96 2 96 3 82 4 HU 90 7 87 8 85 12 60 16 MT 97 5 99 4 97 5 62 13 NL 98 2 97 1 96 1 87 5 AT 96 1 95 1 93 1 81 = PL 91 1 93 1 91 8 59 25 PT 98 7 98 3 97 8 73 4 RO 87 1 87 3 80 10 68 9 SI 97 1 97 2 95 2 73 12 SK 93 3 92 2 89 6 60 18 FI 99 = 98 = 97 1 78 12 SE 96 2 92 3 88 6 80 8 UK 93 = 89 1 70 14 64 14 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 12
October 2016 There are several socio-demographic differences on these questions. Over three quarters (77%) of respondents aged between 15 and 24 agree that the EU is a secure place to live in, compared with only just over six in ten (62%) of those aged 55 or more. However, there are no differences on any of the other questions. In each case, the propensity to feel secure increases with levels of education, although the extent of difference varies. The largest difference can be seen in the case of perception of security in the EU: among those who finished their education at or before the age of 15, only just over half (55%) agree that the EU is a safe place to live in, compared with over three quarters (77%) of those who finished their education at the age of 20 or more. The difference between these groups is somewhat smaller when it comes to the question of whether the respondent s own country is secure (76%, compared with 88%), and smaller yet on the question of whether the respondent s city, town or village (86%; 94%) or immediate neighbourhood (87%; 94%) is secure. Managers (79%) and the self-employed (72%) are clearly more likely to have a positive view of the security of the EU than the unemployed or the retired (both 61%). The unemployed (72%) are also less likely than managers (89%) and the self-employed (85%) to have a positive view of the security of their own country. Surprisingly, those who live in villages are not significantly more likely than those who live in large towns to see their place of domicile as safer (93%, compared with 88%), or to see their immediate neighbourhood as safer (93%; 89%). 13
October 2016 QB1 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about public security? TOTAL 'AGREE' (% EU) Your immediate neighbourhood is a secure place to live in Your city, town or village is a secure place to live in (OUR COUNTRY) is a secure place to live in The EU is a secure place to live in EU28 91 90 82 68 Gender Man 92 90 84 70 Woman 91 90 81 65 Age 15 24 93 92 84 77 25 39 92 91 83 70 40 54 91 90 83 69 55 + 92 90 82 62 Education (End of) 15 87 86 76 55 16 19 91 90 79 64 20+ 94 94 88 77 Still studying 95 94 90 80 Socio professional category Self employed 93 93 85 72 Managers 95 95 89 79 Other white collars 91 89 81 68 Manual workers 91 89 82 67 House persons 87 87 78 57 Unemployed 87 86 72 61 Retired 91 90 80 61 Students 95 94 90 80 Subjective urbanisation Rural village 93 93 84 66 Small/ mid size town 91 90 80 67 Large town 89 88 85 71 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 14
October 2016 II. IMPORTANCE OF SPECIFIC CHALLENGES TO EU SECURITY Respondents were asked how important several specific security challenges are to the internal security of the EU. 5 The same question was asked in the two previous surveys, with the exception of the issue of the EU s external borders, which was not considered in the survey of 2011. - A large majority of respondents regard terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime as key challenges to the EU security - In all cases, a majority of respondents think that these challenges are important, and the proportion of those giving this response has increased over the period of the three surveys. Almost all respondents (95%) see terrorism as an important challenge to EU security, a slight increase from the previous survey (+3pp.). Over three quarters (76%) see terrorism as a very important problem, while nearly a fifth (19%) see it as fairly important. Almost as many respondents (93%) regard organised crime as an important security challenge, compared to nine in ten (90%) in March 2015. In this case, somewhat fewer see this as a very important problem: less than two thirds of the respondents (63%) do so, while three in ten (30%) say that it is a fairly important problem. Slightly fewer (89%) say that natural and man-made disasters are an important problem. This proportion has increased by 10 percentage points since the previous survey, although in June 2011 nearly as many (87%) respondents held this view. Only just over half (53%) of those polled say that such a challenge is a very important security problem, while just over a third (36%) of respondents see them as fairly important. Nearly nine in ten respondents (87%) see cybercrime as an important problem. This figure has risen since the previous survey, when eight in ten (80%) respondents expressed this opinion. Over half (56%) see cybercrime as a very important problem, while just under a third (31%) view it as a fairly important problem. A similar proportion (86%) see the EU s external borders as an important security challenge; a rise of five percentage points since the March 2015 survey. Just over half (51%) regard this as a very important problem, compared with just over a third (35%) who see it as a fairly important problem. 5 QB2. In your opinion, how important are the following challenges to the internal security of the EU? 1. Organised crime. 2. Terrorism. 3. Cybercrime. 4. The EU s external borders. 5. Natural and man-made disasters. Possible answers: Very important; Fairly important; Not very important; Not at all important; Don t know. 15
October 2016 QB2 In your opinion, how important are the following challenges to the internal security of the EU? (% EU) Very important Fairly important Total 'Not important' Don't know TERRORISM 76 March 2015 65 June 2011 58 ORGANISED CRIME 63 March 2015 June 2011 54 54 NATURAL AND MAN MADE DISASTERS 53 March 2015 37 42 June 2011 48 CYBERCRIME 56 March 2015 June 2011 42 43 38 38 THE EU S EXTERNAL BORDERS 51 March 2015 40 41 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 27 33 30 36 37 36 39 31 35 19 4 1 6 2 7 2 5 2 7 3 6 3 9 2 18 3 10 3 7 6 13 7 11 8 11 3 14 5 In all Member States, a majority of respondents regard each of the aforementioned security issues as important challenges to the internal security of the EU, but there are significant differences between countries over how much of a problem they are. 16
June October 2017 2016 In all but two Member States, a majority of respondents regard terrorism as a 'very important' challenge to the internal security of the EU. The exceptions are Sweden (43%) and Estonia (46%). In 24 countries, at least seven in ten respondents (70%) see terrorism as a 'very important' challenge, with the largest proportions found in Cyprus (88%) and Bulgaria (86%). In almost all countries, very few respondents see terrorism as 'not important'. The exceptions are Romania (11%), Estonia (11%) and Sweden (14%), where over one in ten respondents of those surveyed share this view. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 17
June October 2017 2016 There are significant country-level differences in the proportions of respondents who see organised crime as a 'very important' challenge to the internal security of the EU. Again, Sweden (42%) and Estonia (22%) stand out for the particularly low proportion of respondents who hold this view. In all other countries, at least a majority of respondents see this issue as a 'very important' challenge, but this varies from just over half (52%) of those polled in Spain to over eight in ten (82%) respondents in Bulgaria. Again, in most countries only a small minority of respondents see organised crime as 'not important'. Yet, Estonia stands out with over a quarter (26%) of respondents saying organised crime is not an important challenge to the internal security of the EU. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 18
June October 2017 2016 In 21 of the 28 Member States, at least half of the respondents say that natural and man-made disasters are a 'very important' challenge to the internal security of the EU. However, in only five countries do more than six in ten respondents share this view. Bulgaria stands out with the highest level of concern about this problem, with nearly three quarters (74%) of respondents saying that natural and man-made disasters are 'very important'. In Estonia (12%) and Sweden (18%) less than a fifth give this response, and these two countries also stand out for the very high proportion of respondents (47% and 45% respectively) who do not see natural and man-made disasters as an important security challenge for the EU. In other countries, no more than 15% of respondents give this answer. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 19
June October 2017 2016 There are also significant country-level differences in the proportions of respondents who think that cybercrime is a 'very important' security issue for the EU. In 20 of the 28 Member States, at least half of the respondents think this issue is a 'very important' challenge for the internal security of the EU, although this ranges from only half of those polled in Romania (50%) to three quarters of respondents in the Netherlands (75%) and Cyprus (76%). Estonia again stands out for the low proportion of respondents who see this problem as 'very important': only just over a quarter (26%) of respondents give this answer. Again, only a small minority of respondents in most countries say that cybercrime is 'not an important' challenge for the internal security of the EU. In 22 Member States, the proportion of respondents who give this answer is in single figures, and the highest figure occurs in Estonia, where 16% of respondents see cybercrime as 'not important. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 20
June October 2017 2016 There is a similar pattern when it comes to country-level opinions about the importance of the EU s external borders as a challenge to the security of the EU. In 21 Member States, at least half of the respondents see this as a 'very important' challenge. The highest proportions of respondents sharing this view are observed in Cyprus (67%), Hungary (70%), and in particular in Bulgaria, where over eight in ten (81%) have this opinion. At the other end of the scale, once again Sweden (21%) and Estonia (25%) show the lowest proportions of respondents who consider EU s external borders as a 'very important' challenge to the security of the EU. Sweden in particular stands out for the high proportion of respondents who think that the EU's external borders are not an important challenge, with over a third (35%) of respondents giving this answer. In Estonia, over a fifth (21%) give the same response, but in all other countries less than a fifth of the respondents say so. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 21
October 2016 In keeping with the general trend, the proportions of respondents in each country who regard these security issues as 'important' challenges to the internal security of the EU, has risen since the last survey in March 2015. However, there is significant variation in the degree of change. The proportion of respondents who think that terrorism is an important challenge has increased in almost all countries since the previous survey, and has not decreased anywhere. In most cases, the increase is in single figures, reflecting the fact that the proportion of respondents who hold this view was already very high in the previous survey. Estonia stands out for a particularly large increase (88%, +23pp), as do also Latvia (93%, +13pp) and Slovenia (96%, +13pp). The proportion of respondents who say that organised crime is an important challenge has also increased in most Member States but only by a small amount. In only two countries this increase was more significant: the Netherlands (95%, +17pp.) and Estonia (70%, +16pp.) There has been more change in the case of natural and man-made disasters. The proportion of respondents considering this also an 'important' challenge has increased in all 28 Member States, but in 10 cases the rise is in double figures. By far the largest change has occurred in the Netherlands (87%, +29), although other countries also recorded significant increases, such as Denmark (84%, +17pp), Germany (90%, +16pp) and Latvia (87%, +16pp), In the case of cybercrime, most changes are in single figures, but Sweden stands out for a particularly large increase of 23 percentage points in the proportion of those who consider it an important challenge. The pattern is similar with respect to the EU s external borders. In most cases, there has been an increase, but only by a small amount. The most significant exception is Slovenia (91%), where the proportion of respondents giving this answer has risen by 22 percentage points, followed by Estonia (72%, +13pp), the Netherlands (84%, +13pp) and Sweden (60%, +13pp). 22
October 2016 QB2 In your opinion, how important are the following challenges to the internal security of the EU? (% TOTAL 'IMPORTANT') Terrorism Mar. 2015 Organised crime Mar. 2015 Natural and man made disasters Mar. 2015 Cybercrime Mar. 2015 The EU s external borders Mar. 2015 EU28 95 3 93 3 89 10 87 7 86 5 BE 94 = 92 1 89 12 89 8 84 2 BG 99 6 98 2 95 1 82 7 95 4 CZ 91 = 89 2 83 6 81 3 90 10 DK 96 8 96 4 84 17 92 11 89 8 DE 96 3 96 1 90 16 93 6 89 8 EE 88 23 70 16 49 9 74 7 72 13 IE 96 3 95 = 84 6 92 2 90 5 EL 97 3 97 2 94 7 88 3 93 3 ES 97 5 90 3 90 8 81 8 80 6 FR 96 = 90 6 90 6 88 9 81 6 HR 94 6 93 = 88 5 81 5 86 9 IT 95 = 94 1 91 2 82 8 86 2 CY 98 1 96 1 92 8 95 4 92 8 LV 93 13 93 13 87 16 83 13 82 9 LT 96 5 95 5 92 12 87 7 92 10 LU 95 4 95 5 88 13 90 11 85 7 HU 95 4 96 3 94 4 89 6 93 8 MT 96 = 96 3 93 7 85 5 91 8 NL 96 5 95 17 87 29 97 15 84 13 AT 95 4 94 = 90 3 82 4 93 6 PL 94 4 93 3 90 5 86 9 91 6 PT 96 3 95 = 95 12 87 10 92 3 RO 89 1 87 2 88 5 82 2 83 3 SI 96 13 95 5 94 9 87 13 91 22 SK 95 5 95 1 93 4 87 2 94 9 FI 97 8 95 6 91 10 96 8 91 6 SE 86 10 87 5 53 4 83 23 60 13 UK 97 2 93 2 85 13 90 2 87 1 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 23
October 2016 For the socio-demographic breakdown, we examine the proportions of respondents who see these security issues as very important, as there is more variation on this answer. Respondents aged between 15 and 24 (56%) are less likely than those aged 55 or more (66%) to see organised crime as a very important problem. The youngest cohort is also less likely to see the EU s external borders as a very important problem, with less than half (43%) giving this answer, compared with over half (55%) of those aged 55 or more. There is only one significant difference between groups with different levels of education. Over six in ten (62%) of those who finished their education at or beyond the age of 20 think that cybercrime is a very important security challenge, compared with less than half (47%) of those who finished their education at the age of 15 or less. QB2 In your opinion, how important are the following challenges to the internal security of the EU? 'VERY IMPORTANT' (% EU) Terrorism Organised crime Cybercrime Natural and manmade disasters The EU's external borders EU28 76 63 56 53 51 Age 15 24 73 56 52 50 43 25 39 76 61 56 50 49 40 54 78 65 61 54 52 55 + 77 66 54 54 55 Education (End of) 15 77 64 47 55 52 16 19 78 66 57 54 56 20+ 75 63 62 51 49 Still studying 74 55 53 49 42 Socio professional category Self employed 76 63 61 54 55 Managers 76 66 65 51 48 Other white collars 77 64 57 52 52 Manual workers 76 62 56 52 53 House persons 75 64 50 57 50 Unemployed 75 61 56 54 50 Retired 77 66 53 53 55 Students 74 55 53 49 42 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 24
June October 2017 2016 The chart below compares the proportion of respondents who consider terrorism a 'very important' challenge to the EU s internal security with the proportion of respondents who have the same opinion about natural and man-made disasters. It highlights that in several Member States the higher the tendency to perceive terrorism as a threat, the more likely respondents in these countries are also to perceive natural and man-made disasters as a threat. For example, respondents in Sweden and Estonia are less likely to perceive terrorism as a threat and are amongst the countries where fewer respondents perceive natural and man-made disasters as a very important threat. The reverse is true for Cyprus and Bulgaria. 25
October 2016 III. PERCEPTION OF NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ACTION IN FIGHTING SPECIFIC THREATS Having been asked about the importance of specific security threats, respondents were then asked about the extent to which they agreed that the police and other law enforcement authorities were doing enough to combat these threats. 6 Overall levels of agreement and disagreement vary according to the threats in question, and there has been very little change since the last survey of March 2015. - More than half of the respondents think that enough is being done by the police and other law enforcement authorities to fight terrorism and drug trafficking - More than six out of ten respondents (63%) 'agree' that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to fight terrorism, although only a fifth (20%) 'totally agree'. Nearly a third of the respondents (32%) 'disagree' with this statement, with one in ten (10%) who 'totally disagree'. Just over half of the respondents (53%) 'agree' with the statement that drug trafficking is being dealt adequately by the national police and other national law enforcement authorities, while four in ten respondents (40%) 'disagree'. Less than a fifth 'totally agree' (15%) or 'totally disagree' (13%). Nearly half (49%) of the respondents 'agree' that enough is being done to fight cybercrime, although only just over one in ten (13%) 'totally agree'. Just under four in ten (37%) 'disagree' that enough is being done, with one in ten respondents (10%) saying that they 'totally disagree'. Over one in ten respondents (14%) do not know what to think about this statement. The figures are very similar in the case of arms trafficking, with just under half of the respondents (46%) saying they 'agree' that the national police and national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to tackle it, and just over one in ten (13%) who 'totally agree'. On the other side, just under four in ten (39%) 'disagree', and just over one in ten (13%) 'totally disagree', while 15% of the respondents have no opinion about this statement. The distribution of responses is also very similar in the case of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Less than half of the respondents (46%) 'agree' with the statement that enough is being done by the police and other enforcement authorities to tackle human trafficking and sexual exploitation, with just over one in ten (13%) saying they 'totally agree'. Over four in ten (43%) 'disagree' but just over one in ten (14%) 'totally disagree'. Over one in ten respondents (11%) are not able to express an opinion on this topic. In the case of corruption, the proportion of respondents with a negative response to this statement is larger than the proportion who respond positively. Just over half of the respondents (51%) 'disagree' with the statement that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to tackle corruption, and nearly a fifth (19%) 'totally disagree'. On the other side, only over four in ten respondents (43%) 'agree' with this statement, while just over a tenth (13%) 'totally agree'. 6 QB3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? The police and other law enforcement authorities in (OUR COUNTRY) are doing enough to fight 1. Corruption. 2. Money laundering. 3. Terrorism. 4. Cybercrime. 5. Drug trafficking. 6. Arms trafficking. 7. Human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Totally agree; Tend to agree; Tend to disagree; Totally disagree; Don t know. 26
June October 2017 2016 In what concerns money laundering, a majority of respondents (46%) 'disagree' that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to combat it. Nearly a fifth of the respondents (17%) 'totally disagree'. On the opposite, only over four in ten respondents (42%) 'agree' with the statement, but only over one in ten (12%) 'totally agree' with it. The same proportion (12%) have no opinion on the issue. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 27
June October 2017 2016 Results vary significantly across countries in what concerns respondents' opinion on whether enough is being done to address the threat of terrorism, although in most cases a majority 'agree'. Only in Slovenia (49%), Bulgaria (47%) and Slovakia (46%) does a minority of respondents think so. The most significant variations are found in the extreme responses. In Denmark, which has the highest level of overall agreement, nearly four in ten respondents (39%) 'totally agree' that terrorism is being dealt with adequately, as do a third (33%) of respondents in Hungary, 32% in Finland and 30% in Spain. On the other hand, less than one in ten (7%) respondents in Malta 'totally agree' with the statement. In most cases, no more than a fifth 'totally disagree', with the exception being Bulgaria, where nearly a quarter (24%) are highly sceptical of the effectiveness of the police and other law enforcement authorities in fighting terrorism. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 28
June October 2017 2016 In 19 of the 28 Member States, at least half (50%) of the respondents think that enough is being done by the national police and other national law enforcement authorities to combat drug trafficking. The most conspicuous exceptions are Slovenia (35%), Greece (36%), Bulgaria (36%), and Slovakia (38%), where less than four in ten hold this view. At the other extreme, seven in ten of the respondents in Finland (70%) have a positive attitude towards the authorities efforts to tackle drug trafficking, as do two thirds of those polled in Estonia (66%). However, in most countries no more than a fifth of respondents 'totally agree' with the statement, with the highest figures recorded in Hungary (26%) and Austria (25%). Similarly, in most cases no more than a fifth 'totally disagree' that enough is being done to combat drug trafficking. The main exceptions are Slovenia (30%), Greece (31%) and Bulgaria (31%), where over three in ten give this response. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 29
June October 2017 2016 In the case of cybercrime, there are significant differences at the country level. Notably, the proportion of respondents who 'totally agree' that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to tackle the problem, is generally low across countries - only in Austria (24%) do more than a fifth of respondents give this answer. There are even bigger differences among those who 'tend to agree'. In Finland, over half (52%) give this response, as do nearly half of those polled in Cyprus (46%), Estonia (47%) and Malta (49%). However, in Bulgaria, only just over a fifth (21%) 'tend to agree' with the statement. In only 13 Member States at least half of the respondents agree with the statement. In most countries, less than half of the respondents 'disagree' with the statement, but in Germany (51%), the Netherlands (51%) and Slovenia (54%) over half do so. In several countries particularly Bulgaria (28%) and Latvia (24%), a high proportion of respondents do not have an opinion on this. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 30
June October 2017 2016 There is a similar distribution of opinion in the case of arms trafficking. Overall, in only 11 Member States at least half of the respondents agree with the statement. While in Finland and Hungary (both 26%) over a quarter of respondents 'totally agree' that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are doing enough to tackle this problem, in most countries less than a fifth of respondents share this opinion. The proportion of those who 'tend to agree' with this statement varies from only a fifth of those surveyed in Bulgaria (20%) to over four in ten respondents in Finland, Poland, Malta (all 43%) and Estonia (45%). In Slovenia (62%), Greece (59%) and France (53%) a majority of respondents 'disagree' with the statement, and in Slovenia three in ten (30%) say they 'totally disagree' with it. Again, in several countries a significant proportion of respondents say they do not know, such as for example nearly three in ten (29%) of respondents Latvia. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 31
June October 2017 2016 In less than half of the 28 Member States (13), the majority of respondents think national authorities are doing enough to fight human trafficking and sexual exploitation, with the highest proportion found in Finland (66%). In Slovakia, only a third (33%) of respondents 'agree' with this statement, with similar figures recorded in Bulgaria (34%) and Slovenia (35%). Again, in most cases only a small minority 'totally agree' that enough is being done: only in Finland (22%), Hungary (24%) and Austria (25%) do more than a fifth of respondents give this answer. In six countries, at least half of the respondents 'disagree' with this statement, and in Slovenia (28%) and Bulgaria (29%) nearly three in ten 'totally disagree' with it. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 32
June October 2017 2016 There are substantial country-level differences about whether enough is being done by the police and other law enforcement authorities to tackle corruption. Only in 8 of the 28 Member States do a majority of respondents indicate some level of agreement with this statement, and this varies from only just over half (51%) of those polled in Poland to over two thirds of respondents in Denmark (67%). At the other end of the scale, in Slovenia (18%), Slovakia (23%) and Bulgaria (24%), less than a quarter of the respondents share this view. Along with Malta, Slovenia also has the lowest proportion of respondents who 'totally agree' with only 5% giving this answer. However, in Austria (25%) and Denmark (26%) around a quarter of respondents 'totally agree' with the statement. There are notable differences when it comes to the proportions of respondents who 'totally disagree' that corruption is being tackled adequately by national authorities. In 8 of the 28 Member States, at least three in ten of the respondents share this view, with nearly half of those polled in Bulgaria (45%) and in Slovenia (46%) saying they totally disagree' with the statement that corruption is being tackled adequately. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 33
June October 2017 2016 There are also significant country-level differences in the case of money laundering. Once again, the highest proportion of respondents who agree that enough is being done to tackle this problem can be found in Finland, where over two thirds (67%) agree with the statement to some extent. Slovenia (21%) and Bulgaria (23%) again stand out for the low proportion of respondents who agree with the statement. There are considerable differences in the proportions of respondents who totally disagree with this statement. In Finland and Luxembourg, only 4% give this answer, compared with over four in ten (43%) of respondents in Slovenia and nearly as many in Bulgaria (39%). Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 34
October 2016 In most cases, there has been only moderate country-level variation since the March 2015 survey, but in some cases, there have been more significant changes. In most cases, there is no consistent pattern of change, but Luxembourg and Romania stand out for significant increases in agreement with most of the seven statements, while in Ireland the proportion of those who agree has decreased in each case. In some countries, for example Latvia, there has been very little change since the last survey. In six countries, the proportion of respondents who agree that enough is being done to combat terrorism has increased by at least 10 percentage points since the previous survey, with a particularly large change in Portugal (+19pp.). The only large decrease in the proportion of respondents who give this answer is found in Ireland (-12pp.). In 16 of the 28 Member States, the proportion of respondents who agree that the police and other law enforcement institutions are adequately dealing with drug trafficking has decreased since the last survey, with the largest decreases found in Ireland (-7pp.) and Slovakia (-7pp.). Romania (+10pp.) stands out as the country with the largest increase in agreement with this statement. There have not been many significant changes in the proportion of those who agree that enough is being done to tackle cybercrime. In 16 Member States, the proportion of respondents who agree with this statement has increased, but aside from Portugal (+10pp.) and Romania (+11pp.), only by single figures. The largest decrease is found in Ireland (-8pp.). In 18 Member States, the proportion of respondents who agree that the police and other law enforcement agencies are adequately tackling arms trafficking has increased. However, only in three cases is this change greater than single figures: Czech Republic (+10pp.), Romania (+11pp.), and Luxembourg (+13pp.). In the case of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, there are very few changes greater than five percentage points in magnitude. The most significant changes have occurred in Romania (+11pp.) and Luxembourg (+15pp.). In 11 Member States there is still a decrease or no change. There have also been few significant changes in the case of corruption. Only in Austria (+11pp.) has the proportion of respondents who agree that the authorities are doing enough to tackle corruption increased by more than 10 percentage points, while the largest decrease has occurred in Ireland (-9pp.). There have been no substantial decreases in the proportion of respondents who agree that money laundering is being adequately tackled by the authorities, but in several countries there has been a clear increase, most notably in Luxembourg, where the proportion of respondents who agree with this statement has increased by 19 percentage points. 35
October 2016 QB3 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: The police and other law enforcement authorities in (OUR COUNTRY) are doing enough to fight (% TOTAL 'AGREE') Terrorism Mar. 2015 Drug trafficking Mar. 2015 Cybercrime Mar. 2015 Arms trafficking Mar. 2015 Human trafficking and sexual exploitation Mar. 2015 Corruption Mar. 2015 Money laundering Mar. 2015 EU28 63 2 53 = 49 3 46 2 46 2 43 1 42 = BE 68 2 58 1 55 8 48 3 51 3 41 4 44 2 BG 47 3 36 1 30 2 31 2 34 = 24 = 23 1 CZ 66 14 54 1 48 7 49 10 51 4 33 5 37 10 DK 82 3 64 6 54 1 62 = 54 2 67 1 52 3 DE 56 6 52 4 39 1 41 1 41 4 42 1 41 1 EE 64 3 66 5 66 = 61 6 56 1 59 5 54 = IE 50 12 47 7 41 8 47 6 43 5 38 9 44 8 EL 55 5 36 6 56 7 32 6 42 1 28 5 26 3 ES 74 13 50 9 48 8 41 9 45 4 30 8 30 8 FR 57 6 47 1 45 = 38 2 38 = 35 = 34 = HR 60 = 48 5 45 1 48 1 46 2 30 6 38 1 IT 67 6 61 1 56 5 52 4 54 5 54 3 55 1 CY 59 7 57 2 61 3 41 1 53 6 38 6 36 9 LV 57 = 48 = 43 1 45 3 44 1 26 1 27 1 LT 56 6 47 5 42 = 40 4 44 4 31 3 30 3 LU 70 11 64 5 54 8 52 13 54 15 56 9 60 19 HU 74 10 62 4 56 3 59 7 57 3 42 2 46 3 MT 52 2 60 1 59 1 50 3 52 1 46 6 43 5 NL 77 8 57 6 40 2 46 6 49 2 49 4 42 1 AT 65 1 60 3 53 = 56 3 55 1 55 11 57 11 PL 65 7 59 3 54 2 53 1 56 5 51 1 50 = PT 68 19 53 1 47 10 48 4 42 4 38 3 38 4 RO 62 10 58 10 55 11 56 11 54 11 47 1 51 10 SI 49 6 35 3 35 4 32 5 35 1 18 5 21 5 SK 46 1 38 7 33 4 32 4 33 4 23 3 25 1 FI 81 1 70 2 71 6 69 2 66 2 65 1 67 2 SE 69 = 55 5 45 = 46 4 43 1 56 2 53 = UK 63 4 53 = 49 1 50 1 46 2 49 1 46 3 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 36
October 2016 There are not many significant and consistent socio-demographic differences across each of the seven statements. There is an impact of age in some cases, although not in all. Respondents aged between 15 and 24 are more likely than those aged 55 or more to agree that enough is being done to tackle money laundering (47%, compared with 40%), cybercrime (52%; 42%), drug trafficking (56%; 49%) and arms trafficking (51%; 42%). Respondents who finished their education at or before the age of 15 are in most cases less likely to agree with these statements than those who finished their education aged 20 or more. This is the case for corruption (39%, compared with 46%), terrorism (57%; 69%), cybercrime (39%; 51%), drug trafficking (48%; 55%), arms trafficking (40%; 48%), and human trafficking and sexual exploitation (42%; 47%). QB3 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: The police and other law enforcement authorities in (OUR COUNTRY) are doing enough to fight... TOTAL 'AGREE' (% EU) Terrorism Drug trafficking Cybercrime Arms trafficking Human trafficking and sexual exploitation Corruption Money laundering EU28 63 53 49 46 46 43 42 Age 15 24 65 56 52 51 49 44 47 25 39 66 58 55 49 50 45 44 40 54 65 54 50 48 46 42 43 55 + 61 49 42 42 44 42 40 Education (End of) 15 57 48 39 40 42 39 39 16 19 61 53 49 47 47 42 43 20+ 69 55 51 48 47 46 43 Still studying 69 58 53 52 50 46 49 Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 37
June October 2017 2016 IV. ATTITUDES TOWARDS COOPERATION OF POLICE AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT TO COMBAT CRIME AND TERRORISM Further, respondents were asked on whether the national police and other national law enforcement authorities are cooperating with each other effectively to fight crime and terrorism and on whether they should exchange information with their counterparts in other EU countries 7. These questions were not asked in previous surveys. 1 National cooperation between police and other law enforcement - In most countries, a majority of respondents think the police and other national law enforcement authorities cooperate adequately to fight crime and terrorism - Over nine in ten respondents (92%) 'agree' with the statement that national police and other national law enforcement authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries, with nearly two thirds (64%) who 'totally agree' and almost none (1%) who 'totally disagree'. A considerably smaller majority (65%) agree that the police and other law enforcement authorities in their country cooperate adequately with each other. Less than a quarter (24%) of those polled 'totally agree' with this statement, while over a quarter (28%) 'disagree' with it to some extent. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 7 QB4. To what extent do you agree with the following statements? 1. In (OUR COUNTRY) the policy and other law enforcement authorities cooperate adequately to fight crime and terrorism. 2. In order to fight crime and terrorism (NATIONALITY) police and other law enforcement authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries. Possible answers: Totally agree; Tend to agree; Tend to disagree; Totally disagree; Don t know. 38
June October 2017 2016 In all but two of the 28 Member States, a majority of respondents 'agree' that national police and other national law enforcement authorities should cooperate within the EU. The exceptions are Germany (49%) and Bulgaria (47%). Nevertheless, there are still significant differences between countries. While in Sweden only just over half (54%) agree that these institutions cooperate effectively, in Denmark well over eight in ten (85%) have this opinion. There are also substantial differences over the extent of agreement with this statement. In Denmark (44%), Spain (43%) and Hungary (42%) over four in ten of those polled 'totally agree' with the statement, but in six countries less than a fifth of respondents do so, including only 16% in Germany. Among those who 'disagree', the proportions range from one in ten (10%) in Malta to just under half (45%) of the respondents in Germany. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 39
June October 2017 2016 2 International cooperation between police and other law enforcement authorities - A significant majority of respondents in all countries agree on the need to share information within the EU to better fight crime and terrorism - The overall proportions of those who agree that information should be shared within the EU do not differ substantially across countries. The lowest level of agreement is found in Slovakia, where just over eight in ten (81%) of the respondents give this response, and the highest proportion is found in Denmark, where nearly all (98%) of those surveyed 'agree'. However, there are significant differences when it comes to the proportions of respondents who 'totally agree'. In Sweden (84%) and Denmark (83%), over eight in ten respondents are in total agreement with this statement, but in Slovakia only around half that number (42%) do so. In almost all countries, less than one in ten of the respondents 'disagree' with sharing information within the EU. The exceptions are Slovakia (11%) and Romania (12%), where just over one in ten of those polled expresses this view. Base: All respondents (N=28,093) 40
June October 2017 2016 The following charts compare the proportion of respondents who perceive terrorism and cybercrime as important challenges to the EU s internal security with the proportion of respondents who think that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries to fight crime and terrorism. The charts below intend to explore whether we can establish that the more likely respondents are to think terrorism and cybercrime are important challenges, the more likely they are to agree that the national police and other national law enforcement authorities should cooperate with other EU countries to fight crime and terrorism. They show that this relationship seems to exist although not so strongly in some Member States. 41
October 2016 Finally, those who expressed agreement about the exchange of information between national authorities and authorities of other Member States were asked whether this information should be shared on a case by case basis, or in every case. 8 - A majority of respondents think that the police and other national law enforcement authorities should share information with the other EU countries on a systematic basis - Nearly seven in ten (69%) of respondents that national police and other national law enforcement authorities should share information within the EU as a matter of course, with less than three in ten (29%) saying that this should happen on a strictly case by case basis. QB5 In order to fight crime and terrorism should the (NATIONALITY) police and other law enforcement authorities exchange information with authorities of the other EU countries on a case by case basis or always, in every case? (% EU) Don't know 2 On a case by case basis 29 Always, in every case 69 Base: Respondents who agree that the national police and other law inforcements authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries (N=25,953) QB5. In order to fight crime and terrorism, should the [NATIONALITY] police and other law enforcement authorities exchange information with authorities of the other EU countries on a case by case basis, or always, in every case? Possible answers: On a case by case basis; Always, in every case. 42
June October 2017 2016 In all countries, more respondents think that information should be shared in every case. However, there are clear differences between countries. In Spain and France, eight in ten (80%) of the respondents think this way, compared with only half in Bulgaria. There is no clear country-level relationship between the proportions of those who are cautious about sharing information and the proportions of those who only give qualified agreement to information-sharing as a principle. Base: Respondents who agree that the national police and other law inforcements authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries (N=25,953) 43
October 2016 There are very few socio-demographic differences on this question. Younger respondents (70%) are slightly more likely than those aged 55 or more (64%) to have a positive opinion of the domestic cooperation between the police and other law enforcement agencies. There is no age difference when it comes to sharing information with law enforcement institutions in other EU countries, but the older cohort is more likely to say that information should be shared in every case (73%, compared with 62% of those aged between 15 and 24). QB5 In order to fight crime and terrorism should the (NATIONALITY) police and other law enforcement authorities exchange information with authorities of the other EU countries on a case by case basis or always, in every case? (% EU) On a case by case basis Always, in every case Don't know EU28 29 69 2 Age 15 24 36 62 2 25 39 32 66 2 40 54 29 69 2 55 + 24 73 3 Base: Respondents who agree that the national police and other law inforcements authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries (N=25,953) 44
October 2016 CONCLUSION This report has examined attitudes, perceptions and experiences of respondents in the EU regarding security. It has confirmed many of the existing findings on this issue, and highlighted emerging trends. On the broader issue of security, it is clear that people in the EU continue to feel secure in their immediate surroundings, in their city, town or village, in the country where they live, as well as in the EU. However, for the latter, the fall over the past two years in the proportion of respondents who think that the EU is a secure place to live in is significant. These attitudes are concentrated in particular in countries which have been comparatively untouched by events such as the recent terrorist attacks. This suggests that concerns regarding the internal security of the EU may be based less on personal experience, and more on the politicisation of sensitive issues. Overall, Europeans remain highly alert to security threats. Nearly all respondents see terrorism and organised crime as important threats to the internal security of the EU. A particular result from that survey is that there has been a significant rise in the proportion of those who see cybercrime and natural and man-made disasters as important challenges. Finally, while there is generally still a high level of confidence in the ability of the police and other law enforcement authorities to tackle traditional security problems, there appears to be some uncertainty about whether the authorities are doing enough to tackle cybercrime, corruption and money laundering. However, it is clear that the EU s strategy of coordinated action to combat crime and terrorism has the support of the people of the EU, a large majority of whom favour information sharing across borders to facilitate the tackling of security threats. Indeed, in most countries, a majority of respondents think that cooperation between the police and other national law enforcement authorities is adequate to fight crime and terrorism and almost all respondents (92%) agree that national authorities should share information with the authorities of the other EU Member States to better fight these crimes. Important platforms for sharing such information in Europe are provided inter alia by Europol. 45
Europeans attitudes towards security Technical Specifications TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Between the 13 th and the 26 th, TNS opinion & social, a consortium created between TNS political & social, TNS UK and TNS opinion, carried out the wave 87.4 of the EUROBAROMETER survey, on request of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Directorate-General for Communication, Media monitoring and analysis Unit. The wave 87.4 covers the population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the 28 Member States and aged 15 years and over. TS 1
Europeans attitudes towards security Technical Specifications The basic sample design applied in all states is a multi-stage, random (probability) one. In each country, a number of sampling points was drawn with probability proportional to population size (for a total coverage of the country) and to population density. In order to do so, the sampling points were drawn systematically from each of the "administrative regional units", after stratification by individual unit and type of area. They thus represent the whole territory of the countries surveyed according to the EUROSTAT NUTS II 1 (or equivalent) and according to the distribution of the resident population of the respective nationalities in terms of metropolitan, urban and rural areas. In each of the selected sampling points, a starting address was drawn, at random. Further addresses (every Nth address) were selected by standard "random route" procedures, from the initial address. In each household, the respondent was drawn, at random (following the "closest birthday rule"). All interviews were conducted face-to-face in people's homes and in the appropriate national language. As far as the data capture is concerned, CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) was used in those countries where this technique was available. For each country a comparison between the sample and the universe was carried out. The Universe description was derived from Eurostat population data or from national statistics offices. For all countries surveyed, a national weighting procedure, using marginal and intercellular weighting, was carried out based on this Universe description. In all countries, gender, age, region and size of locality were introduced in the iteration procedure. For international weighting (i.e. EU averages), TNS opinion & social applies the official population figures as provided by EUROSTAT or national statistic offices. The total population figures for input in this post-weighting procedure are listed here. Readers are reminded that survey results are estimations, the accuracy of which, everything being equal, rests upon the sample size and upon the observed percentage. With samples of about 1,000 interviews, the real percentages vary within the following confidence limits: 1 Figures updated in August 2015 TS 2
Europeans attitudes towards security Questionnaire ASK ALL QUESTIONNAIRE D62 Could you tell me if? (READ OUT ONE ANSWER PER LINE) 1 You use the Internet at home, in your home 2 You use the Internet on your place of work 3 You use the Internet on your mobile device (laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc.) 4 You use the Internet somewhere else (school, university, cyber-café, etc.) Every day or almost every day Two or three times a week About once a week Two or three times a month Less often Never No Internet access (SP.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EB87.2 D62 QB1 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about public security? (READ OUT ONE ANSWER PER LINE) 1 The EU is a secure place to live in 2 (OUR COUNTRY) is a secure place to live in 3 Your city, town or village is a secure place to live in 4 Your immediate neighbourhood is a secure place to live in Totally agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Totally disagree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 DK EB83.2 QA1 Q1
Europeans attitudes towards security Questionnaire QB2 In your opinion, how important are the following challenges to the internal security of the EU? (READ OUT ONE ANSWER PER LINE) Very important Fairly important Not very important Not at all important 1 Organised crime 1 2 3 4 5 2 Terrorism (M) 1 2 3 4 5 3 Cybercrime 1 2 3 4 5 4 The EU s external borders (M) 1 2 3 4 5 5 Natural and man-made disasters 1 2 3 4 5 EB83.2 QA3 MODIFIED QB3 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: The police and other law enforcement authorities in (OUR COUNTRY) are doing enough to fight... (READ OUT ONE ANSWER PER LINE) Totally agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Totally disagree 1 Corruption 1 2 3 4 5 2 Money laundering 1 2 3 4 5 3 Terrorism 1 2 3 4 5 4 Cybercrime 1 2 3 4 5 5 Drug trafficking 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arms trafficking 1 2 3 4 5 7 Human trafficking and sexual exploitation 1 2 3 4 5 EB83.2 QA4 QB4 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (READ OUT ONE ANSWER PER LINE) 1 In (OUR COUNTRY), the police and other law enforcement authorities cooperate adequately to fight crime and terrorism 2 In order to fight crime and terrorism (NATIONALITY) police and other law enforcement authorities should exchange information with the other EU countries Totally agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Totally disagree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 DK DK DK EB83.2 QA4 Q2
Europeans attitudes towards security Questionnaire ASK QB5 IF CODE 1 OR 2 IN QB4.2 QB5 In order to fight crime and terrorism should the (NATIONALITY) police and other law enforcement authorities exchange information with authorities of the other EU countries on a case by case basis or always, in every case? (READ OUT ONE ANSER ONLY) On a case by case basis 1, Always, in every case 2 DK/NA 3 NEW Q3