Relevance lost - the rise and fall of opinion surveys

By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Wed, 2007-03-07 10:21

With increasing frequency, the European Commission issues Eurobarometer reports on energy issues, such as the latest 'Attitudes on issues related to EU Energy Policy'. This latest flash Eurobarometer gives a very clear and consistent signal accross the European Union on a number of energy issues.

For example:

  • citizens are concerned about climate change
  • they want a minimum percentage for the share of renewable energy
  • governments should subsidise investments for energy efficiency and development of new technologies
  • policy needs to be set at EU-level
  • nuclear energy needs to be decreased
  • citizens want to be able to choose their supplier for electricity and gas

All these choices have far-reaching implications. Unfortunately, the signal from EU citizens is not always consistent with previous Eurobarometer surveys on energy. A complex subject as energy does not lend itself well to telephone interviews. It gives citizens no chance for reflection, and the sequence & phrasing of questions introduces significant bias.

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