Europeans want poverty tackled in their country

ALMOST three-quarters of Europeans consider poverty to be a widespread problem in their country, a comprehensive European Commission survey has found.

Europeans want poverty tackled in their country

The survey, which polled 27,000 Europeans, also found that almost 90% believe urgent action is needed by their government to tackle the issue.

The findings come against a bleak picture of nearly 80 million people — or 16% of the EU population — living below the poverty line, and facing serious obstacles in accessing employment, education, housing, social and financial services.

More than 80% of Europeans report that poverty has increased in their country in the last three years.

Presented by the European Commission, the findings are the key results from a new Eurobarometer survey on attitudes to poverty and social exclusion released ahead of the 2010 European Year Against Poverty.

Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said the results showed that Europeans are strongly aware of the problems of poverty and social exclusion in today’s society and want to see more action to tackle them.

“While most people see their national government as primarily responsible, three-quarters also expect the EU to play an important role. Next year’s European Year gives us the perfect opportunity to put the fight against poverty centre stage across the EU,” he said.

Close to nine out of 10 Europeans (87%) believe that poverty hampers people’s chances of gaining access to decent housing, eight out of 10 feel that being poor limits access to higher education or adult learning, and 74% believe that it damages their chances of finding a job. The majority of Europeans (60%) believe that access to a decent basic school education is affected, and 54% believe that the ability to maintain a network of friends and acquaintances is limited by poverty.

Many also find that public services are not affordable.

The survey confirms the perceived vulnerability of the unemployed: more than half of Europeans believe that the unemployed are most at risk of poverty. The elderly are also widely viewed as a vulnerable social category.

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