Analytics, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

This opinion was shared by 57% of respondents in Lithuania and 55% in Estonia.

The survey, carried out among nearly 29,000 people throughout the EU, showed that respondents in Greece (81%), France (76%) and Slovenia (76%) are the most likely to see globalization as a social threat while Swedes strongly tended to disagree (41%). In the whole EU, 63% of citizens think that globalization increases social inequalities.

Only 40%  of Latvians believe that the EU helps to protect European citizens from the negative effects of globalization compared with 48% who disagree. Estonians are even more skeptical with just 38% believing in the EU protection while Lithuanians feel more positive about the EU protecting its citizens from the negative effects of globalization (52%). In the whole EU, 45% believe in the EU protection but 43 % disagree.

Also, 59% of the EU citizens think that the EU has sufficient power and tools to defend the economic interests of Europe in the global economy, including 57% in Latvia, 71% in Lithuania and 51% in Estonia.

Free trade is considered positive by 71% of respondents in Latvia, 82%  in Estonia and 81% in Lithuania.

At the same time, solidarity is considered positive only by 58% of Latvians, which is the lowest rate among all EU member states. The EU average is 79%, and solidarity was considered positive by 77% in Estonia and 84 percent in Lithuania.