A consumer pays at a supermarket in Brussels, Belgium, April 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
The Spring 2022 Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Parliament and published on Wednesday, showed that inflation and rising prices had already had an impact on people's living standards before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, due primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BRUSSELS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The rising cost of living is a concern across Europe, with four of ten respondents to a recent Eurobarometer survey saying this had already impacted their standard of living.
The Spring 2022 Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Parliament and published on Wednesday, showed that inflation and rising prices had already had an impact on people's living standards before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, due primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A consumer shops at a supermarket in Brussels, Belgium, April 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
Uncertainty prevails in the European region, with 87 percent of respondents saying that the conflict had already or will affect their living standards.
Six out of ten are not convinced that their life will continue unchanged, with a similar proportion saying they were not ready to face higher prices for food or energy.
In stark contrast to these worries, citizens show resilience in supporting common European values. Six out of ten respondents prioritize defending the common European ideals, such as freedom and democracy, over containing consumer prices. More than 80 percent agree that what brings the citizens of European Union (EU) member states together is more important than what separates them. More than two-thirds say it is important that their country is a member state of the EU.
People walk past a store in Rome, Italy, March 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)
The share of citizens holding a positive impression of the EU is 52 percent, the highest level since 2007.
The growing economic concerns are also reflected in the political priorities citizens want the European Parliament to focus on: the fight against poverty and social exclusion is listed first (38 percent), followed by public health (35 percent) -- which dropped significantly by 7 percentage points in the past six months -- and democracy and the rule of law is third (32 percent). ■
