Special Eurobarometer 473: Europeans, Agriculture and the CAP

This survey was commissioned by DG Agriculture and Rural Development to explore public opinion about agriculture, rural areas and the CAP, in line with its regular tracking of public opinion on these policy issues using Eurobarometer. Field work commenced on 2nd December, This was just after the Commission adopted its communication on "The Future of Food and Farming – for a flexible, fair and sustainable Common Agricultural Policy" on 29th November 2017; this document outlines ways to ensure that the oldest EU common policy remains future-proof in the period post 2020. More than nine in ten participants (92%) think agriculture and rural areas are important for the future. In 24 countries providing safe, healthy food of high quality should be the main objective of the EU in terms of agricultural and rural policy. More than six in ten respondents say that this should be the main objectives (62%). At least half the respondents mention also protecting the environment and tackling climate change (50%). Compared to the last EB survey in 2015, there has been a six-point increase in the proportion of respondents that mention providing safe, healthy food of high quality as the main objective of EU agricultural and rural development policy, and a six-point increase in the proportion who mention protecting the environment and tackling climate change. More than seven in ten Europeans think the CAP is fulfilling its role in securing a stable supply of food in the EU. Opinions about the situation of rural areas compared to 10 years ago vary across countries – sometimes widely. #####The results by volumes are distributed as follows: * Volume A: Countries * Volume AA: Groups of countries * Volume A' (AP): Trends * Volume AA' (AAP): Trends of groups of countries * Volume B: EU/socio-demographics * Volume B' (BP) : Trends of EU/ socio-demographics * Volume C: Country/socio-demographics ---- Researchers may also contact GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: [https://www.gesis.org/eurobarometer](https://www.gesis.org/eurobarometer)