The top 10 threats facing Europe, according to Europeans
Neil Hall/Reuters
Europeans are largely in agreement on the top threats that face the European Union — and if you've been following the news as of late, you can probably guess what they are.
Eurobarometer published a report in August showing that despite ongoing concerns like rising inflation and member states' finances, economic issues aren't necessarily at the top of most Europeans' lists of fears.
The survey was carried out in late May, and EU citizens were asked to identify the two most important issues facing the EU at the moment.
Here's what they were most concerned about:
10. The environment
The environment is seen by 6% of those surveyed as one of the top issues facing the European Union, with people in Sweden and France being the most worried.
Concerns about the environment and climate change are palpable across the world. Earlier this year, each EU member state joined nearly every other nation in the world in signing the Paris Agreement on climate change and pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The only holdouts to the agreement were Syria, Nicaragua, and the United States — although it's worth noting that Eurobarometer's survey was conducted before President Donald Trump announced in June the US would pull out of the agreement.
9. Rising prices/inflation/cost of living
Just 7% of Europeans were concerned about the rising cost of living, although that number could rise in the future in the United Kingdom in particular, due to the impact of Brexit.
The UK's Office of National Statistics announced in March that the annual rate is the highest it's been in more than three years.
8. Climate change
Although it's unclear whether Europeans view "climate change" as a separate issue from "the environment," which just 6% expressed concern about, another 8% said climate change was one of the top issues facing the EU.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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