The EU-US Forum, an American nonprofit organization that aims to advance President Trump’s conservative agenda in Europe and stop the EU’s radical leftism from coming to the US, conducted polling in five European Union member states that found citizens largely feel the EU is moving in the wrong direction and are frustrated with high taxes, government inefficiency, and the rise of the far left.
On behalf of the EU-US Forum, the Tyson Group conducted public opinion surveys in five European Union member states: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Portugal from January 13 – January 22, 2025.
Read the full polling memo HERE.
The poll largely found that EU citizens are disappointed with current leadership and conservative sentiments and policies are overwhelmingly popular.
Highlights include:
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has a net -4 favorability rating across all five EU member states polled. In her home country of Germany, von der Leyen is underwater, with 60% disapproving or are unsure of the job she’s doing.
- After experiencing not one but two government collapses in the past year, 74% of French citizens disapprove of the job President Emmanuel Macron is doing in France.
- A staggering 70% of Germans disapprove of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This comes as Germany’s conservative party, AfD, is on the rise ahead of Germany’s elections.
- A significant portion of French (73%) and Italian (63%) respondents expressed uncertainty or disagreement with the EU’s lack of representativeness for recent EU election outcomes where conservative parties gained significant victories.
- Nearly a majority of respondents said their personal financial situation has worsened in the past year.
- Conservative sentiments are overwhelmingly popular in Europe: reestablishing domestic food production (83% approve) and implementing harsher border controls to reduce the flood of illegal migrants (72% approve).
- Following the political chaos that France and Germany have faced in the past year, respondents in these countries believe, by a wide margin, that the rise of the far left is a bad thing: 84% and 61% respectively.
Alex Alvarado, Tyson Group Vice President, said in a memo about the poll:
“A significant portion of citizens feel the EU is moving in the wrong direction, largely due to concerns over its leftist agenda and leaders like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz who face high disapproval ratings.
Many respondents also feel that recent EU election outcomes, which saw significant gains by conservative parties, are not accurately reflected in the EU’s policies. Issues like the rising cost of living, healthcare, and migration remain top concerns, while conservative solutions like stricter border controls and a focus on domestic food production garnered widespread support. This survey highlights a clear shift toward conservatism across Europe, with citizens expressing frustration with high taxes, government inefficiency, and the perceived rise of the far-left.”
BACKGROUND:
- The EU-US Forum is an American nonprofit organization aimed at advancing President Trump’s conservative agenda in Europe and stopping the EU’s radical leftism from coming to the US.
- The group released polling in May 2024 that revealed shocking discoveries that predicted the rightward shift in Europe that played out in its 2024 parliamentary elections.
- The EU-US Forum is led by multiple former Trump administration officials. Matt Mowers, former Senior White House Advisor at the U.S. Department of State and Joseph Grogan, former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, serve as Board Members.
- Throughout the spring, EU-US Forum ran a six-figure paid media effort taking aim at the far-left policy agenda of the EU. This included campaigns in:
- Rome, Italy with ads that said “EU Policies Are Putting Western Civilization at Risk.”
- Budapest, Hungary during CPAC with ads that read “Demand Change in the European Union.”
- Maastricht, Netherlands during the Maastricht Debate with the message: “Demand Borders. Demand Free Speech. Demand Change at the EU.”