Zagreb, 4 February 2026 (Hina/MIA) — Croatians are more optimistic about their personal and family futures and about their country than about the future of the European Union or the world, according to the European Parliament’s autumn Eurobarometer survey.
The face-to-face survey was conducted across all EU member states from Nov. 6 to 30.

Seventy-seven percent Croatians said they were optimistic about their personal and family future, above the EU average of 76%. Optimism was lower regarding Croatia’s future (67%), the EU’s future (61%) and the global outlook (54%). Across the EU, 52% of respondents were pessimistic about the world’s future, 39% about the EU and 41% about their own country.

On security, EU citizens cited wars near the bloc (72%), terrorism (67%), cyberattacks from third countries (66%), climate-driven natural disasters (66%) and uncontrolled migration (65%) as their main concerns. Risks linked to communication were also prominent, including disinformation (69%), hate speech (68%), AI-generated fake content (68%), weak data protection (68%) and threats to freedom of expression (67%).

In Croatia, the top security concerns were climate-related natural disasters (73%), wars near the EU (71%), terrorism (70%), migration (68%) and reliance on non-EU countries for energy supplies (65%). Hate speech ranked highest among communication-related risks (68%), followed by disinformation, freedom of expression and data protection (each 67%), and social polarisation (65%).

Across the EU, 66% of respondents want the bloc to play a role in protecting them, compared with 60% in Croatia. EU unity was seen as essential by 89% of EU citizens and 88% of Croatians, while 73% in the EU and 83% in Croatia said the bloc needed more resources to tackle global challenges.

To strengthen its global position, EU citizens said the bloc should prioritise defence and security (40%), competitiveness and industry (32%), and energy independence (29%). Croatians put energy independence and infrastructure first (35%), followed by competitiveness and the economy (34%), and food security and agriculture (32%).

In Croatia, 57% said the European Parliament should focus on inflation and the cost of living, followed by the economy (43%) and poverty and social exclusion (33%). Some 56% expect their living standards to remain unchanged over the next five years, while 22% foresee a decline and 21% an improvement.

At EU level, 54% expect stable living standards, while 28% anticipate a decline, with the most pessimism recorded in France (45%), Belgium and Slovakia (40% each).

In Croatia, 52% of respondents have a positive view of the EU and 12% a negative one, while 41% view the European Parliament positively and 20% negatively. EU membership is seen as beneficial by 57% of Croatians and bad by 17%. Across the bloc, 49% hold a positive view of the EU and 62% regard their country’s membership as beneficial.