As a first project step for the initiative “1989–2009. Forward into a New Europe”, an study was commissioned to poll currents views and opinions of young people on the subjects of “1989 –year of the turn” and developments since 1989.
The Study
The study entitled Young People in Europe” was conducted by GfK Austria. Tennagers and young adults from Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia were asked about their view of the year 1989, the development of their country in Europe and the significance they ascribed to of Europe for their own future.
The study was made in July and August 2008 in the form of an online questionnaire with 500 young people between 14 and 24 participating in each country.
The subjects addressed included:
- How do young people define their nationality?
- Which events of 1989 are they familiar with?
- How do they perceive the Communist past of Eastern Europe?
- How do they judge the development of the own country in Europe and within the European Union?
- What do young people expect from the future?
The Results
The study yielded telling results in several respects. So it turned out that the mother tongue generally was a more important factor for the sense of national identity than, for example, religion. Regarding what was known about historic events of 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall clearly was best known, followed by the opening of the Iron Curtain. Replies to the question whether the EU accession of their respective country was the right decision were clearly positive, as were the answers to the question of whether EU membership had had positive effects for the country and for the interviewees personally.
Strong positive effects of EU membership were mainly seen in the areas of economic development and protection and creation of jobs. More critical opinions were expressed with regard to personal effects: thus, for example, the EU was to said to play a rather negative role for consumer prices as well as for wages and salaries.