The second part of the sixth wave of the major polling survey by diaNEOsis “What do the Greeks think” includes questions about the feelings that prevail among citizens at this time, about the European Union, about the state of the world and also about immigration. The research attempts to highlight the thoughts of citizens in an era of global uncertainty and two wars in our wider region.

How do Greek men and women believe that they are affected by the situation and what do they expect in the next period? How do they see Greek democracy half a century after its restoration and what do they say about the future of the European Union? Do they know what the Recovery Fund is? How do they view immigrants – those already in the country and those who may come in the future?

Like the first part of the survey, which was published recently, this one is not just about capturing the image today. “What Greeks Think” as a whole includes several questions in common with the first wave of 2015, and thus one can observe how the population changes (or does not change) opinions over the years. Observations of this kind, especially on some topics of this particular section of research that are affected by important international and local events, are of particular interest.

The second part of the sixth wave of “What the Greeks think” resulted from a telephone and online poll by Metron Analysis of a representative sample of 1,104 people, in the period 23 January to 6 February 2024. You can find the results report here, as well as a basic summary of the findings here. The full results and data of the poll are accompanied by the publication of a report, signed by Stratos Fanaras, Yiannis Balapanidis and Penny Apostolopoulou from Metron Analysis, and an analysis by Research Director at Mindview Nefelis Stournara on immigration. More interesting analyzes of the research findings will be published in the next period, as well as the third and final part of the results.

The following is a brief presentation of the key findings of the poll.

How do Greeks say they feel?
The ranking of emotions reported overall in this wave of the survey appears to remain similar to the three previous waves. More specifically (data for overall reports):

Insecurity 49.9%
Disappointment 44%
Anger 29.7%
Optimism 21.7%
Shame 16.8%
Pride 12.4%
Confidence 10.3%
Confidence 7.9%

The survey also asks respondents to rate their personal situation, on a scale from 1 (very negative) to 10 (very positive) in various areas. They give the highest grade (7.7 on average) to their “relationship with others”.

The quality of democracy today
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Post-colonialism, the survey asks the participants to comment on the quality of democracy in the country. It is interesting that the age group in which the “strong” option gets the lowest percentage is the youngest, aged 25-39.

European Union
In addition, the survey asks questions concerning citizens’ perceptions of the image, but also the future of the European Union.

64.8% positively assess the country’s participation in the EU
64.6% agree with its enlargement with new member states
36.8% believe that the EU will break up in the coming years
35.9% believe that the EU will continue to exist in its current form
36.4% consider the EU untrustworthy
10.3% believe that the EU will break up
35.9% are aware of the Recovery Fund
Greece in the world

What do Greeks think about individual countries, inside or outside the European family? Who do they consider their best allies? How do they rate the leaders of the great powers? How do they think the war in the Middle East will affect our lives?

Positive opinions about leaders

More popular

63% Emmanuel Macron (France)
33.4% Ursula von der Leyen (EU)
33.2% Joe Biden (USA)

Less popular

12.6% Rishi Sunak (UK)
16.1% Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey)
21.1% Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel)

Views on China

67% describe China as “strong”
6 in 10 describe China as a ‘rising’ power
1 in 3 have not heard of Chinese President Xi Jinping

Immigration

What does the Greek population think about immigrants? What do citizens think the country should do to manage the flows? Where do most people think immigration will improve conditions and where do they think it will cause problems?

7 out of 10 agree that children of legal immigrants born in Greece should receive Greek citizenship immediately
7 out of 10 recognize that the flight of immigrants creates a problem for the economy
1 in 2 wants a stricter procedure for granting citizenship
1 in 2 believe there is a need for policies to prevent further migrant flight
6 out of 10 believe that Greece should accept immigrants depending on the needs of its economy

Read the results of the survey in detail HERE