INFORM network meeting - European Commission - June 17 2008

1. Knowledge and perception of European Union action and the European funds among the French population INFORM network meeting - European Commission - June 17 2008 In partnership with the Ministry for the economy, industry and employment, the Ministry for the interior, overseas territories and collectivities, and the Ministry for agriculture and fishing This survey was carried out by Ifop as part of the inter-ministerial communication plan on projects in France which are jointly funded with the European Union. The survey has been co-funded by the European Union.

2. Contents Methodology A - Lessons from the qualitative study • A1. The French and the European Union: still a distant and distrustful relationship • A2. The European funds: a very low level of awareness • A3. The provision of information stimulates curiosity but not the cohesion desired • A4. Expectations in the area of communication B - Lessons from the quantitative study • B1. The relationship with Europe • B2. Information on the assistance and the measures provided by the European Union • B3. The European funds C - Conclusion

3. Methodology IFOP was responsible for designing the survey's methodology and undertaking the survey and did so in constant liaison with the ministerial partners involved in the inter-ministerial communication plan. On their request, the study process on European Union action was performed at a national and a regional level.

4. Methodology A study process on European Union action at a national and a regional level. Qualitative phase Quantitative phase • Confirm or inform about the lessons from the qualitative study by... • measuring people's awareness of the European funds • assessing the levels of knowledge • determining the impact felt regarding European intervention • Measure the level of awareness and collect perceptions on the European funds on the basis of... • examples of specific achievements • communication channels on the European funds Create areas for consideration and make operational recommendations to optimise communication on the European funds and how they are applied at a regional level

5. Methodological note on the qualitative survey Samples: Six group meetings distributed accordingly: • Île-de-France (Greater Paris): Five men, five women, aged between 20 and 28 years, students, young people looking for work and young people in work, of whom 2/3 voted 'no' at the constitutional treaty referendum and who live in the Seine-Saint-Denis département. • Rhône-Alpes: Five men, five women, aged between 35 and 55 years, with professional occupations, senior managers and intermediate professions, of whom 2/3 voted 'yes' at the constitutional treaty referendum and who live in Grenoble and the surrounding area. • Nord-Pas-de-Calais: Five men, five women, aged between 25 and 50 years, workers and employees, of whom 2/3 voted 'no' at the constitutional treaty referendum and who live in the region of Valenciennes. • Limousin: Five men, five women, aged between 30 and 60 years, farmers, craftsmen and intermediate professions who live in a rural area and of whom 2/3 voted 'no' at the constitutional treaty referendum and who live around Guéret. • Brittany: Five men, five women, aged between 25 and 50 years, employees and intermediate professions, of whom 2/3 voted 'yes' at the constitutional treaty referendum and who live in Lorient and the surrounding area. • Martinique: Five men, five women, aged between 25 and 50 years, employees, of whom 2/3 voted 'yes' at the constitutional treaty referendum. Carried out on: January 10 to 22 2008

6. Methodological note on the quantitative survey Sample: Sample of 5211 people who are representative of the French population aged 18 years or over. The quota method has ensured the representativeness of the sample (gender, age and profession of the interviewee) following stratification by administrative region and agglomeration category for mainland France and following stratification by département for the overseas départements. Within this sample, the weight of each overseas region or département was considered to benefit from a sufficient number of interviews (200) for each geographical unit. Each overseas region and département was then returned to its actual weight in the French population when the results were processed digitally. Collection method: The interviews were held over the phone while the interviewees were at home. Carried out on: February 18 to March 1 2008

7. A. Lessons from the qualitative study

8. A1. The French and the European Union: still a distant and distrustful relationship

9. An attractive and reassuring area of possibilities... Among our various target groups, the European Union is seen as a rich universe of positive factors. The targets value its perceived and potential assets, which function as reassuring elements in today's disconcerting world. While the European Union is considered by many (especially among the young generations and high income targets) as an enlarged and attractive area of possibilities, particularly in terms of the mobility that it offers over a wide geographic area, it is mainly its 'powerful' dimension that dominates the positive perceptions: • Undeniable economic strength, and also reassuring monetary strength through a strong euro (against the dollar), and finally bolstered political and diplomatic strength, the European Union is reassuring because it allows countries to make their presence felt in a globalised economy, particularly given the preponderance of the US and 'Asian giants'; • The cooperation and sharing of know-how, efforts and methods which are associated with the building of the European Union are also highly valued. Not only do they reassure targets on the capacity of the EU to fight certain current threats (terrorism), they also offer an encouraging outlook in terms of economic and cultural exchanges; • Finally, as an inter-state area of solidarity, the European Union plays a part in ensuring its member states' economic and political stability. The successful integration of Spain and Ireland let the most optimistic foresee a similar outcome for Central and Eastern European countries which have recently joined. • 'Strong, like a lion, we feel stronger, grouped' (Workers and employees, Valenciennes) • 'Through its weight, it can act as a balance between the three world powers' (Farmers and craftsmen, Guéret) • 'A block, unification, a jigsaw with different elements but which give a whole' (Workers and employees, Valenciennes)

10. ...but a low level of knowledge and proximity, a source of fear and questioning • 'The rise in prices linked to the euro has meant we are the losers; buying power has dropped with the euro' (Workers and employees, Valenciennes) • 'Relocalisation does not help solve the problem of unemployment or work problems as all of the borders are open and anyone can come in' (Employees, Martinique) • 'Additional constraints in the area of standards: we will no longer have the right to make certain cheeses with raw milk (...) we lose out' (Senior managers, Grenoble) Criticism and scepticism of the European Union go beyond the perceived lack of tangible benefits and the uncovering of its contradictions. For many, the Union carries with it a large number of threats which are even more worrying as they affect people on an individual and a daily level and also symbolically and collectively: • The perceived consequences of adopting the euro on purchasing power and the ongoing dissatisfaction with this issue were expressed on many occasions and embody the reservations and even the discontent expressed towards the Union, especially among employees and workers; • Fears of social dumping, the risk of relocalisations and the rise in the level of unemployment quickly follow on in the targets' statements; these fears are stoked by the differences which exist in relation to new members, particularly regarding the cost of labour; • On more of a symbolic level, the issue arises of one's identity being diluted and the fear of losing both a national and a regional identity.

11. Simple expectations: information, proximity and placing actions in a specific context The search for greater social, economic and even cultural cohesion remains one of the first vocations associated with the European Union. However, such cohesion is quickly being assessed as there is a fear of extremely harmful standardisation and the spectre of levelling downwards, one of whose main emblems is the loss of certain social achievements. Implicitly, Europe's desire is one of a European Union which is concerned with preserving local particularities while sharing synergies so as to drive all member states towards greater stability, and social, economic, environmental and diplomatic cohesion.   Furthermore, the lack of awareness of how the EU works, the EU's missions and contributions and the lack of proximity felt at every level ask to be addressed through the provision of greater information and communication to citizens. This therefore mainly requires: • Enhancing the visibility of actions in priority areas, namely, jobs, training and social progress • Place the European Union in a dynamic which shows a clear direction and which is able to unify and encourage adhesion • Increase the feeling of belonging to a common framework on the basis of unifying elements.

12. A2. The European funds: a very low level of awareness

13. Almost a non-existent level of awareness which creates preconceived ideas which incorporate remoteness This observation is certain. There is almost a non-existent level of awareness among our targets of the Europeans funds, except for farmers who, aside from the grants that they receive for their line of work, soon make the same guesses. The European funds, which are a technical and financial product from the European Union, also present all of the features which create remoteness: the financial and technical side, the final purpose governed by theoretical principles of cohesion and solidarity. Unsurprisingly, most participants are unable to mention any specific European funds and evoking the ESF, the ERDF, the EAFRD and the EFF does not trigger a greater level of awareness.   In terms of image and communication, the possible levers therefore are therefore faced with serious obstacles. There is, of course, a clear sociological rift between young people and those on high incomes who appear to be far more positive on the subject than those on low incomes. The questions quickly start to come from all directions and finally show quite a negative image of the European funds, which come to represent a melting pot of negative impressions associated with the European Union.   The targets believe that the European funds initially resemble both: • a common financial goldmine meant for mutual community aid, through grants to upgrade geographic areas and/or sectors in trouble. The emerging markets in Eastern Europe are then identified as the first recipients of these funds; • a reservoir of community funds to deal with unforeseen events.

14. A community 'pool of money' which attracts suspicion and questions (1) • 'The funds should be reorganised as they are mainly for agriculture. Investments should be made elsewhere' (Youngsters, Seine-Saint-Dénis suburbs) • 'Inaccessible to the population. Does it really help us? (Employees, Martinique) • 'As individuals, we don't see anything of the European Funds, unless you have a specific project' (Employees and intermediate professions, Lorient) The impressions on the European funds also bear witness to the following operating modes and fields of intervention: • broad and very general fields and missions with the feeling of a preponderance of agricultural grants which tends to monopolise most projects to the detriment of any other immediate plan; • beneficiaries which are hard to pinpoint but which are imagined at more of a macro level and which unquestionably take the shape of institutional beneficiaries, towards which there is a noticeable distance; • allocation criteria and operating mechanisms which are not well known, which quickly send out an image of opacity, complexity, a lack of management and control. Certain doubts also persist on the reimbursable nature of funds granted which would therefore serve as loans and not grants. 'A lot of money is being pumped around, we don't know why but we would like to find out; obscure, unclear, waste, useful but for whom? Somebody is winning' (Senior managers, Grenoble)

15. A community 'pool of money' which attracts suspicion and questions (2) • 'There are exchanges but we don't know what we give nor what we receive; being in a union means that there must be exchanges somewhere; we are going to give and to receive but we have the impression that we could be giving more than we receive or that we are disadvantaged in some areas' (Employees and intermediate profession, Lorient) • 'A load of rubbish: it's like a parent who gives his child some money to stop him nagging. We are given funds and the politicians here do whatever they want, they are not controlled. What it boils down to is this: take this and sort it out yourselves, a poisoned gift, the politicians stuff their pockets full and build three roads so that nobody says anything' (Employees, Martinique) As a result of this spontaneous distancing, suspicion quickly arises whether regarding: • the fear of seeing private interests coming before the common good: what are the rules governing the allocation of assistance between member states? More specifically, what are the principles retained in the allocation of assistance between institutions and regions and between the various projects? What are all of the criteria which take precedence in a situation in which the community budget, which is far from being extendable, appears insufficient to carry out large-scale actions? • the risk of France losing out in light of funds allocated to emerging markets; • doubts towards a system which is considered to be willingly corrupted with sums diverted from their initial purpose due to overriding local interests and a lack of follow-up in the field: what are the guarantees of transparency regarding the use of the funds and the achievements that they permit?

16. A3. The provision of information stimulates curiosity but not the cohesion desired

17. An image of the European funds which is both more specific and exhaustive... • 'It has been built; I hadn't thought about all of that; there are specific areas' (Youngsters, Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs) • 'I did not know that it was also internal to each country; it is also by region; there is an internal infrastructure for each country; I did not think that there was an infrastructure for the regions; it works in specific sectors to preserve France's traditions' (Youngsters, Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs) • 'I was surprised that the European Union invests in social issues. I didn't know that. The European funds help to ensure there is equality and cohesion. There are good ideas behind it' (Employees, Martinique) Updating as well as the communication projects and documents tested in the various regions inevitably create a certain amount of surprise among all of our targets. Surprise is mainly due to: • the observation of distinct and specified areas of intervention where we gave a global representation. The fields covered appear far more exhaustive and open than what we had imagined upstream with direct or indirect benefits for inhabitants and not only for the big players or institutions; • the existence of local initiatives carried out at a regional, town and even individual level, while we wondered whether the European Union had a vocation to intervene on this scale; • from among the examples mentioned, a social dimension was noted among the EU's fields of intervention, which was an agreeable surprise that did away with the image of a political-economic body which dominated the representations. The European funds thereby become both more specific and exhaustive and take on a local character. The impression of being nothing more than a simple financial tool is overtaken by a seductive and attractive image of commitments in the field.

18. ...but a high demand for clarifications to strengthen the credibility of their interventions The gap felt not only between the information furnished and the initial level of knowledge but also between actual tested projects and the reality perceived in the field leaves room for many questions and is fertile ground for the emergence of many doubts. The first question is obviously: 'why did we not know about these projects beforehand?', purposefully making our various targets adopt an attitude of distrust. The desire to understand and identify specific examples of these initiatives at their own level soon follows on. The 'actual' vocation of the European funds also remains problematic for a large share of our targets. The drop in the number of supported interventions, projects and initiatives attracts questions and is even of concern: • the perceived scattering of micro-projects does not clearly reveal the global approach which governs European fund interventions; • the more the intervention is of a local nature, the more it intervenes downstream, viz. as a 'corrective' measure, and the more it appears as a one-off: a doubt crops up on the capacity of these initiatives to respond to the community vocation that we had hoped to be rather more structural and preventive; • finally, of less importance, the existence of such diverse European funds makes one wonder whether government actions have been ineffective or, inversely, the European Union has possibly had too strong a grip, which is worrying: why does France have to resort to European funds to carry out so many small scale projects? • 'Who are the players? Who decides to give funds to one project and not another? Who is going to benefit from it? What type of company? How has Europe followed these projects up over time? ' (Youngsters, Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs) • 'A country like France should not have to resort to these funds. It's like being on benefits; it's not always a good thing, what would we do if it all went belly up? (Workers and employees, Valenciennes)

19. The assessment of certain projects and communication measures: The most successful mechanisms The projects and communication measures which appear to work best among our various targets are most often those which: • show any form of local and social initiatives which act as a 'boost' for the territory, aside from the measures taken, to revitalise the area, particularly in the area of jobs. Examples which offer a clear understanding of the diverse range of beneficiaries (direct beneficiaries of the European funds / indirect beneficiaries of funded work) and the long-term consequences are among those which attract the greatest cohesion; • recount small-scale initiatives on issues concerning them or any forms of inter-personal accounts which directly affect them. The tested communications work quite well with regard to the films in which one can note the breaking down of accounts which place the European funds in a specific dimension and a dimension of proximity. However, it is important to note that while the testimonial aspect is seductive due to the fact that viewers can identify with the speakers, it has a risk of feeding the perception of a scattering of grants and the absence of a clear common guideline. • 'We are closer to the grassroots. It is a local operation. It is more tangible; we go to the grassroots' (Farmers and craftsmen, Guéret) • 'A young person's account, in particular, is more appropriate for us. It is specific, it is an accurate description of a person, a day, a close-up from the beginning to the end, it is credible and we believe it' (Youngsters, Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs)

20. A4. Expectations in the area of communication

21. Pride of place to the audiovisual tools Expectations in the area of communication tools are transversal, with: • a clear preference for audiovisual tools with the register of the spots tested: on the basis of inter-personal accounts but with a clearer guideline which ends up giving greater emphasis to the end purpose of the European commitment implicitly present in the initiatives shown; • the desire for more regular 'meetings' with European current affairs so as to become familiar with the various initiatives taken by the European funds (weekly TV programmes, Internet site, creation of ‘Maisons de l'Europe', etc.); • the need for relays in the PQR as well as at a regional body level.

22. The need to clarify the communication registers Furthermore, with regard to the content of the messages broadcast, the analysis of the statements collected among our various targets recalls the need to: • clarify who is emitting the message through, for example, a bigger display of the European funds; clarify the role and the positioning of the European funds in relation to the bodies mentioned in the various communications (State, local collectivities, companies, associations, individuals): as, unlike the structures that they assist, it is difficult to physically represent the European funds; it is important to clearly establish with the appropriate terminology the way in which they intervene (should we talk about funding, a partnership, support?); • reflect the long-term nature, and not the sporadic nature, of the European funds' interventions, to make the significance of the European commitment credible according to a clear and visible 'before/during/after' plan and to show attractive future perspectives; • reassure people on the measures taken to confront the distrust which exists towards institutions; • select the angle of approach to be given preference more clearly: is the aim to create through the examples of the initiatives chosen a driving effect based on a traditional 'advertising' register ('if you have a project, you may resort to European fund financing'), at the risk of creating a harmful phenomenon of promising too much? Is the aim to focus more on a Europe which is accountable or, quite simply, list the contributions it offers? Implicitly, the question undeniably arises on who the beneficiaries of these funds and the support organisations are and on which the communications must provide citizens with more information.

23. B. Lessons from the quantitative study

24. B1. The relationship with Europe

25. The feeling of belonging Question: would you say that you are very attached to, quite attached to, not very attached to or not at all attached to... ? Not very attached Very attached Quite attached to Not at all attached 20% 80% Your town 83% 17% Your region 92% 8% France 65% 35% Europe

26. The feeling of belonging Feeling of belonging to Europe Legend

27. The feeling of belonging The attachment of the French to Europe appears to be subtle in comparison with other territories and bodies. While almost two thirds of interviewees (65%) say that they are 'very attached' or 'quite attached' to Europe, this score is far lower than that for the local level (town: 80%; regions: 83%) and France (92%). The fragile nature of the French population's attachment to Europe is also shown by its low intensity. Only 23% of interviewees said that they were 'very attached' to Europe compared to 59% for France, 43% for the region and 34% for the town.   Such a ranking is in line with previous surveys on the same subject and testifies to both the geographic and symbolic distance that separate the French from Europe. The scale of the landmass which now makes up the European Union, the lack of 'naturally defined' borders and a common history shared by all unquestionably explains the relatively low sense of attachment. A closer look reveals that regional attachment is stronger among the oldest: it varies between 72% for those aged 18-24 years and 87% for those aged 50 years or over. Farmers (91%) and workers (86%) also show a strong attachment to their region which is far greater than that expressed by higher socio-professional categories (77%). It is however true that the latter are more geographically mobile due to their work and this undermines the attachment felt towards the region in which they live. The attachment of the French to their region varies greatly from one place to another. It is particularly high in regions with a strong socio-historic identity, particularly Corsica (94%), Brittany, Alsace and Aquitaine (91% each). In contrast, only 74% of those in the centre of France say that they are attached to their region while this figure stands at 71% for those in the Greater Paris region, which probably suffers from the geographic mobility of its population.

28. The feeling of belonging The reasons behind the attachment of the French to Europe are significantly different. The influence of the interviewees' age appears minimal (66% for those aged 18-24 years, 69% among those aged over 65 years) and points towards a particularly deep sociocultural rift. Only 54% of those with few or no qualifications say that they are attached to Europe compared to 65% of those with Baccalauréat qualifications and 77% of those with higher education certificates. Logically, this attachment also varies from one professional category to another: 55% of workers say that they are attached to Europe compared to 61% of farmers and 77% of managers and those with professional occupations. An attachment to Europe which varies from one region to the next. There are two factors to explain this. First, the physical distance from European decision-making centres: 74% of those in Alsace and 68% of those in Lorraine say that they are attached to Europe compared to only 51% of those who live in an overseas département (a score which varies between 43% in Guadeloupe and 55% in La Réunion). Secondly, there is a socio-economic factor which is also to be considered. It is particularly noteworthy that 58% of those who believe that they live in one of the European Union's poorest regions say that they are attached to Europe compared to 73% of those who, on the contrary, believe that they live in one of the wealthiest regions. This rift is apparent when analysing the results on a regional level: 70% of Greater Paris inhabitants (a region which has a low level of unemployment and a larger share of high income earners than the national average) say that they are attached to Europe compared to 57% of interviewees in Basse-Normandie and 58% in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. The feeling of belonging to Europe creates a clear political rift within each large political movement. On the left, only 48% of Communist Party supporters express their attachment to Europe compared to 67% of Socialist Party and Green Party supporters. On the right, the feeling of belonging to Europe rises to 75% among the UMP and 70% for the Nouveau Centre compared to only 52% for MPF and 28% for the National Front. In the same logic, the May 29 2005 referendum on the European draft constitutional treaty is still valid: 84% of voters who voted 'Yes' express their attachment to Europe compared to 51% of voters who voted 'No'.

29. The feeling of living in one of the European Union's wealthiest or poorest regions Question: would you say that your region is one of the European Union's wealthiest or poorest regions or neither one or the other? The poorest 26% The wealthiest 35% Neither one nor the other 39%

30. The feeling of living in one of the European Union's wealthiest or poorest regions The feeling of living in one of the poorest regions The feeling of living in one of the wealthiest regions Legend Legend

31. The feeling of living in one of the European Union's wealthiest or poorest regions More than one third of interviewees believe that they live in one of the European Union's wealthiest regions (35%). Inversely, just over one quarter (26%) of the sample asked - a non-negligible share of interviewees - states that it lives in one of the poorest regions. 39% of interviewees do not consider themselves to be in either category. Socio-demographic, professional and cultural characteristics have little influence on the feeling of living in one of the European Union's wealthiest regions. For example, this feeling is shared by 33% of workers, 38% of intermediate professions and 43% of managers and those with professional occupations: a maximum difference of ten points. In contrast, the place of residence, that is to say, the regional factor, is decisive and has a significant impact on the results as shown by the gap noted between the interviewees residing in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (9%, the lowest score noted), Auvergne (10%), the Limousin (11%), French Guyana (14%) and those who live in Alsace (52%), Greater Paris (57%) or in Rhône-Alpes (59%, the highest score noted). We feel that the diversity of the feelings expressed by interviewees is probably due to the economic dynamism perceived on a regional scale. It should also be highlighted that the positive consideration of the advantages/disadvantages of France's membership of the European Union for the interviewee's region is accompanied by a feeling of living in one of the EU's wealthiest regions: 45% of those who believe that belonging to the EU has had more advantages than disadvantages for their region also state that they live in one of the wealthiest regions compared to only 24% of interviewees who think that there are more disadvantages than advantages.

32. Advantages and disadvantages balance of belonging to the European Union Question: do you think that belonging to the European Union has had...? More advantages than disadvantages More disadvantages than advantages Just as many advantages as disadvantages For your region For our country Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

33. Advantages and disadvantages balance of belonging to the European Union 45% of interviewees believe that belonging to the European Union has had more advantages than disadvantages for France, compared to 48% who believed the contrary - a negative result (-3 points). However, 48% of interviewees believe that there are more advantages than disadvantages for their region compared to 41% who hold the opposite view - a positive result (+7 points). Nevertheless, it should be noted that 10% of French people consider that France's membership of the EU has had just as many advantages as disadvantages for their region. We can draw from these particularly diverse results the conclusion that the European Union is finding it difficult to make itself be seen as a dynamic element and a source of benefits by the French, both for their country in general and their region. On both of the study's levels (national and regional), young people are the most positive towards the European Union: 69% see the EU as a source of advantages for their region and 61% believe the same for France. In contrast, these views are only shared by 43% and 47% of those aged over 65 years, respectively. Those aged 18-24 years have grown up with Maastricht and have studied in Europe thanks to the Erasmus programme, which undoubtedly explains a more developed 'European' awareness even though, as we saw during the referendum on the draft constitutional treaty, their opinions may appear to differ and testify to a rift between those young people who have started to work and those who are continuing their studies. The results observed among other social groups reveal that there are some very positive views, particularly among managers and those in professional occupations: 67% note that there are more advantages than disadvantages for their region; this figure stands at 66% for France. On the contrary, workers and people without a qualification are more reserved and even skeptical towards the EU which, in their opinion, has more disadvantages than advantages (55% and 53% for their region, respectively).

34. Advantages and disadvantages balance of belonging to the European Union In parallel, significant geographic disparities become apparent. In areas with economic difficulties like Nord-Pas-de-Calais, most interviewees tend to see the EU as a source of disadvantages (54%), which could explain why the feeling of belonging is so low (58%, the lowest score noted in mainland France). Overseas départements break away from the norm: while their feeling of belonging to Europe is quite low, the advantages/disadvantages ratio is particularly favourable for the European Union. 65% of those living overseas believe that France's membership of the European Union has had more advantages than disadvantages for their region - a score which is 17 points higher than that noted in mainland France (48%). From a political viewpoint, those who support the 'MoDem' party consider the European Union as something which creates advantages for their region and country (64% and 65%, respectively), just like a high proportion of Green party and UMP party supporters. In contrast, only 11% of French people who support the National Front note that there are more advantages than disadvantages for their region; this figure stands at 38% for Communist party supporters. In this respect, the May 2005 referendum on the draft European constitutional treaty undoubtedly testifies to the split which exists in the French population on this subject: only 31% of 'No' voters see more advantages than disadvantages for their region compared to 65% of 'Yes' voters.

35. B2. Information on the assistance and the measures provided by the European Union

36. The level of awareness of European Union actions and financial assistance Question: would you say that you personally are very well informed, quite well informed, rather badly informedor very badly informed about the financial assistance brought and the actions supported by the European Union... ? The financial assistance given by the European Union... 75% 25% … in France 79% 21% ... in your region The actions supported by the European Union... 60% 40% … in France 73% 27% ... in your region Quite well informed Quite badly informed Very badly informed Very well informed Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

37. The level of awareness of European Union actions and financial assistance Well informed about financial assistance given in France Well informed about financial assistance given in his/her region Legend Legend

38. The level of awareness of European Union actions and financial assistance On the subject of the awareness of the financial assistance and action supported by the European Union in France and on a regional level more specifically, the results of the quantitative study confirm the poor level of knowledge observed during the qualitative phase. Nevertheless, the survey results lead us to believe that such poor knowledge primarily concerns the EU's intervention methods: while 40% of interviewees consider themselves to be well informed on actions supported by the EU in France, only 25% are of the same opinion regarding financial assistance brought by the EU to the country. Such a difference also arises, albeit to a lesser extent, when Europe's assistance is seen at a regional level. Significant territorial discrepancies become apparent and reveal a large scale gap between mainland regions and overseas départements. While the level of awareness of interviewees reaches an equivalent level regarding actions supported by the European Union in France, it is on the contrary far better in overseas départements than those implemented at a local level. Likewise, overseas département inhabitants appear to be far more aware than the French on the mainland of the existence of financial assistance given by the European Union (and the methods used), both at a national (i.e. France) and a regional level. Nevertheless, these better levels of awareness in overseas départements gloss over the realities which exist in the various départements. With regard to financial assistance from the European Union at a local level, 28% of Guadeloupe's inhabitants and 29% of French Guyana's inhabitants consider themselves to be well informed compared to 36% of those in Martinique and 45% in La Réunion. Likewise, there is a comparable level of heterogeneity in mainland France. More specifically, the feeling of being well informed about the financial assistance given by the EU to the interviewee's region receives a score of slightly less than 20% in Greater Paris, Midi-Pyrénées, Champagne-Ardenne, Rhône-Alpes and Normandy compared to 26% in Brittany, 27% in Alsace and 34% in Corsica (which is +13 points on the national average).

39. The level of awareness of European Union actions and financial assistance The analysis of other factors also confirms these regional variations. The share of interviewees who are well informed about financial assistance or actions supported by the EU in their region is even greater when the interviewees have the feeling of living in one of the EU's wealthiest regions or when they consider that France's membership of the EU has had more advantages than disadvantages for their region. For example, one third of those who state that they live in one of the wealthiest regions consider themselves to be well informed about the actions supported by the EU in their region compared to 23% of those who believe that they live in one of the poorest regions. Likewise, slightly more than one quarter (26%) of those who believe that France's membership of the EU has had more advantages than disadvantages for their region say that they are well informed about the financial assistance given at a regional level compared to 17% of those who mostly see disadvantages.   In parallel, the feeling of being well informed about the assistance given by the EU to the interviewee's region appears shared unevenly between one population category to another. Systematically, men claim to be well informed more often than women. Age also plays a part. The share of interviewees who consider themselves to be well informed reaches almost an equivalent level to the national average among those aged under 25 years but drops significantly among the higher age group to then significantly rise the further one goes up the age groups. For example, only 18% of interviewees aged between 25 and 34 years consider themselves to be well informed about the actions supported by the EU in their region compared to 41% of those aged over 65 years. This difference may also, implicitly, reveal a desire among the youngest generations to find out more while older people are satisfied with the information currently at their disposal.   Finally, significant discrepancies appear among the various socio-professional categories, particularly with regard to the financial assistance given by the EU to the person's region and for which the feeling of being well informed rises to 37% among farmers (who benefit from direct assistance due to their work) compared to 14% among workers and 20% among managers and those with professional occupations.

40. The level of awareness of European Union actions and financial assistance 'I don't have a clue, it goes through the town hall or rather the 'Conseil général'. I don't think that the European Union was created to resolve all of the country's or the regions' problems. It must have more global actions' (Workers and employees, Valenciennes) 'It is a shame that we are not sufficiently informed about all of the areas in which the European funds play a role. It makes them more humane, it is reassuring to know that our taxes are going there and the fact that our money is not being waste' (Workers and employees, Valenciennes) 'There is no information on the European funds: adverts on TV, in the regional newspapers and Isère magazine, the Conseil général's monthly publication' (Senior managers, Grenoble)

41. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region RankFrance Region1 22 13 33 35 56 67 78 99 810 1011 1112 1313 12 Total Yes Question: Do you think that the European Union financially intervenes in the following areas in France and in your region? ...The environment and sustainable development ...Agriculture ...Economic development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Defence ...Rural development …Professional training ...Jobs ...The safety of property and people In France in your region ...Social and professional insertion Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

42. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region TotalNo Question: Do you think that the European Union financially intervenes in the following areas in France and in your region? ...The environment and sustainable development ...Agriculture In France in your region ...Economic development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Defence ...Rural development …Professional training ...Jobs ...The safety of property and people ...Social and professional insertion Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

43. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region Total Yes ...Agriculture ...The environment and sustainable development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport Farmers ...Rural development ...Economic development Managers ...Defence Workers …Professional training ...Jobs ...The safety of property and people ...Social and professional insertion Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

44. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region Total Yes ...Agriculture ...The environment and sustainable development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Rural development ...Defence ...Economic development Without qualifications or school leaving certificates …Professional training ...Jobs Higher education certificate ...The safety of property and people ...Social and professional insertion Base: each sub-question was asked randomly to half of the sample.

45. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region Total Yes ...Agriculture ...The environment and sustainable development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Rural development ...Defence Belonging to the EU has had more advantages than disadvantages for his/her region …Professional training ...Jobs Belonging to the EU has had more disadvantages than advantages for his/her region ...Social and professional insertion ...The safety of property and people

46. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region Total Yes ...Agriculture ...The environment and sustainable development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Rural development ...Defence …Professional training Knows several of the six European funds ...Jobs Does not know any of the six European funds ...Social and professional insertion ...The safety of property and people

47. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region Total Yes ...Agriculture ...The environment and sustainable development ...Economic development ...Research and development ...Fishing and aquaculture ...Food quality ...Transport ...Rural development ...Defence Personally benefits from actions funded by the EU …Professional training ...Jobs Does not personally benefit from actions funded by the EU ...Social and professional insertion ...The safety of property and people

48. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region The identification of the EU's areas of financial intervention in France as a whole and on a regional level testifies to the poor knowledge of those interviewed. The assistance given by Europe in the areas of agriculture, environment, economic development and even research and development are generally well identified, particularly thanks to the big European programmes such as Airbus, Galileo, etc., as was observed during the qualitative phase. However, the social dimension of European intervention appears to be unknown to or at least very poorly identified by the general public. In this respect, it is surprising to see that only around one third of interviewees think that the EU financially intervenes in the area of professional insertion whether in France (33%) or in the person's region (34%), which are equivalent or even lower levels than the share surveyed which gave a comparable answer for the safety of property and people, which is an area not covered by the European Union. The low scores recorded for professional training and jobs should also be noted both for France (40% and 38%, respectively) and the person's region (38% and 25%, respectively). Such poor knowledge of the European Union's role, particularly in the area of jobs, professional training and more generally social insertion, once again covers up a significant gap between mainland France and the overseas départements. There are also significant differences from one region to another within each of these two kinds of territories. For the overseas départements, it is particularly surprising to note that La Réunion has the highest identification rates for all of the areas tested and with scores which are often higher by more than 20 points than the average observed for all of the overseas départements. In contrast, inhabitants in French Guyana and, to a lesser extent, Guadeloupe, who have already shown a low level of awareness of the assistance given by the EU to their region, are those who find it hardest to identify the EU's various fields of intervention.

49. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region In mainland France, the heterogeneity of the results is attributable to other factors. Local awareness of the areas of intervention concerned is decisive at a regional level. It is particularly the case for fishing and aquaculture, identified by 68% of those in Brittany and 64% of those in Corsica as an EU area of intervention in their region compared to only 32% of people in Lorraine. Likewise, economic development is clearly identified by 73% of inhabitants in Midi-Pyrénées and Rhône-Alpes where state-of-the-art European industry (aeronautics, chemicals) is located compared to only 49% of interviewees in Nord-Pas-de-Calais as this region faced industrial restructuring due to the globalisation of trade. The environment and sustainable development have been particularly well identified by the inhabitants of Alsace, who have been made aware of these challenges over a long period: 79% believe that it is an EU intervention area compared to 61% of those in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The identification of EU areas of intervention in the person's region varies little and even negligibly according to the gender of the interviewees. This observation lets us relativize the feeling of being well informed claimed by men more often than women as an in-depth analysis of the results shows that their level of knowledge is the same most of the time. In contrast, the qualification level makes much more of a difference. There is a clear difference between those without qualifications and those with higher education certificates for the areas which are mostly identified at a national level as the recipients of EU financial assistance. The diploma factor makes a massive difference for agriculture (29 point difference on a sociocultural scale), the environment and sustainable development (23 point difference), economic development (30 point difference) and research and design (25 point difference). However, the areas of intervention which are the least well known among the general public, namely, the social dimension of European intervention at a regional level, suffer from a comparable lack of knowledge within the two population categories.

50. Knowledge of the European Union's areas of financial intervention in France and his/her region There are also noticeable differences between one socio-professional category and another. Farmers have a better knowledge than the rest of the population of several areas and those that directly concern them, more specifically. For example, 86% of farmers identify agriculture as an EU area of financial intervention in their region, as do 91% for the environment and sustainable development, 70% for fishing and aquaculture, 68% for rural development and 64% for jobs. Nevertheless, this factor makes far less of a difference than the qualification level. As would be expected, managers have a better knowledge than workers of the areas of intervention which are best identified by all of the sample questioned but this difference becomes less clearcut for the areas concerned by social action: only 30% of managers and 31% of workers identify social and professional insertion as an EU area of financial intervention. Knowledge of EU areas of financial intervention in the person's region appears to be closely related to the feeling of living in one of the EU's wealthiest regions and also the identification of a personal benefit from actions funded by the EU. Therefore, interviewees who believe that they live in one of the wealthiest regions demonstrate greater knowledge than the rest of the population. Likewise, the feeling of benefiting personally from EU funded actions leads to higher levels of awareness. It should nevertheless be noted that here also, the social side of European intervention suffers from a lack of awareness, regardless of the opinions expressed by the interviewees.