Economic pessimism, low trust in institutions, growing concern over developments in the Middle East and clear opposition to military support for Ukraine are reflected in the Eurobarometer survey published on Friday ahead of Europe Day. The Spring 2026 Eurobarometer survey was conducted between March 12 and April 1, 2026 and is based on 506 interviews in Cyprus, as part of an EU-wide sample of 26,415 citizens.
Pessism intensifies for future prospects
According to the findings on the economy, more than half of Cypriots - a 53% - assess the current state of the Cypriot economy negatively, while only 46% view it positively, compared with 60% and 38% respectively across the EU’s 27 member states. Pessimism intensifies regarding the coming year, with 51% expecting a deterioration in the country’s economic situation, an increase of 23 percentage points compared to the previous survey in autumn 2025, while only 11% foresee improvement, with this indicator falling by four percentage points compared to 2025.
Despite concerns about the overall economy, citizens appear more restrained regarding their own situation. Overall, 75% assess their household’s financial situation positively, while 60% believe their personal professional situation will remain stable over the next year.
Biggest problems
As the most important problems facing the country, Cypriots identify rising prices and the cost of living at 36%, the conflict in the Middle East at 30%, the economic situation at 24%, migration at 23% and housing at 21% of responses. At European Union level, the situation in the Middle East is also recorded as the top concern at 35%, followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at 27% and migration at 26%.
Trust in institutions remains particularly low. Only 31% say they trust the government and 22% parliament, while distrust towards parliament is expressed by 74% of respondents. The balance of trust towards the European Union is also negative, with 39% saying they trust the EU and 54% saying they do not, despite a slight improvement of four percentage points compared to the previous survey.
Low attachment to EU
At the same time, 36% of Cypriots say they have a positive image of the EU, nine points below the average among the “27”. In any case, the figure in Cyprus is six points more positive towards the Union compared to autumn 2025, with 57% now appearing optimistic about the future of the EU.
The findings on European identity are of particular interest. While the overwhelming majority of Cypriots declare a strong attachment to their town or village at 92% and to their country at 95%, only 52% feel attached to the EU and just 45% to “Europe” as a broader concept, marking one of the lowest percentages in the Union.
Regarding citizens’ priorities for EU action, Cypriots place emphasis on ensuring peace and stability at 48%, creating jobs at 39%, access to housing at 30% — almost double the EU average of 16% — strengthening security and defence at 32%, and managing irregular migration at 29%, with the latter two figures also slightly higher than at European level.
Divergence on Ukraine
In the field of digital security, more than half of Cypriots, at 53%, believe major online platforms are not doing enough to remove illegal or harmful content, while 45% believe platforms are not doing enough to protect users.
Strong divergences from the European average are also recorded in Cypriots’ attitudes towards Ukraine. While 77% agree with receiving refugees and 70% support economic and humanitarian aid, the majority reject sanctions against Russia and military support for Kyiv. Specifically, only 30% support economic sanctions, compared with 70% at EU level, while 62% oppose them, compared with 23% across the EU. Support for financing military equipment for Ukraine is even lower, with only 18% in favour and 78% against, compared with 56% and 39% respectively at European level. Acceptance of Ukraine joining the EU is also low, with 41% of Cypriots agreeing compared with 56% of Europeans.
Regarding the European budget, Cypriots want EU spending to focus mainly on employment, social policy and public health at 52% of responses, education and youth at 52%, housing at 51% and security and defence at 43%.
CNA
