Back in 2008, with the EU stalled pending ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council appointed a high-level independent Reflection Group, headed by Felipe González, to propose solutions to numerous challenges facing the European Union in coming years – from economic coordination to foreign policy to reaching out to EU citizens. The recently released …
Reflection group offers few new ideas to engage EU citizens Read More »
Since surveys alone cannot provide a complete or nuanced view of public opinion, they are best preceded or complemented by qualitative research. Samples are small and not necessarily random. So, opinions may not be representative of the broader public. But, since questions are open-ended and flexible, a range of opinions can be expressed and unexpected …
One way the “voice of the ordinary European” currently reaches EU policy makers is via opinion polling. The European Commission’s Eurobarometer surveys measure what Europeans know and how they feel about many topics. Sample sizes are large. Respondents are chosen randomly. Theoretically, this means that responses are representative of all Europeans. But, is this really …