Survey: Majority of IUE students has a positive attitude towards the EU

In an anonymous survey, 54 per cent of IUE students stated to have a positive attitude towards the EU, 40 per cent reported a neutral, and 6 per cent a negative attitude. Furthermore, 55 per cent of the students think that the EU is a success story, 42 per cent characterize the EU as neither a success nor a failure, and 3per cent consider the EU as a failure. As regards EU-Turkey relations, 58 per cent agreed that cooperation has resulted in tangible benefits for Turkey, while 20 per cent disagree and 22 per cent are undecided. As regards the future relations, 73 per cent agree that common challenges (e.g. in the areas of migration, trade, sustainable development and foreign policy) require more and deeper Turkey-EU-cooperation; 9 per cent reject this view and 18 per cent were undecided.

Significant differences exist between students from the PSIR department and other departments. 64 per cent of Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) students reported a positive attitude towards the EU in comparison to only 47 per cent of the students from other departments. Asked to characterize their knowledge about the EU, 58 per cent of PSIR students said to have a high or very high level of knowledge, 37 per cent ascribed themselves some knowledge and 5 per cent low or very low knowledge. In contrast, only 22 per cent of the students from other departments reported high levels of knowledge, 56 per cent indicated to have some knowledge and another 22 per cent low or very low knowledge. However, this result does not reflect a general lack of interest in the EU as 36 per cent of the students from other department said that they are very much or quite interested in the EU, and 29 per cent that they are at least somewhat interested.

In total, 139 students participated at this survey (62 from the PSIR department and 77 from the law or business administration department).

Assoc. Prof. Alexander Bürgin, who organised the survey, said: ‘I invite all students who aim to learn more about the EU to participate at the EU Studies Certificate Programme’. To obtain the certificate students have to pass four EU-related courses with an average of CC or three EU-related courses with an average of BB. Further information about the programme can be found here.