Greeks are more distrustful of the European Union than any other population in the 27-member bloc, according to a new Eurobarometer survey published this week.
A full 61% of Greek respondents said they "tend not to trust" the EU, beating out Cyprus and Slovenia, both at 54%, and sitting well above the bloc-wide average of 43%. At the opposite end, Portugal came in as the most EU-trusting nation at 79%, followed by Denmark at 73%.
The skepticism extends to foreign policy too. Only 27% of Greeks said they were satisfied with the EU's handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the lowest figure across all 27 member states and far below the bloc average of 55%.
The domestic mood is equally grim. Some 60% of Greek respondents described the situation in their country as "bad," and 56% said they expected things to get worse over the next 12 months. That tracks with the finding that 53% identified rising costs, inflation, and the cost of living as the most pressing issue facing Greece right now.
Distrust in homegrown institutions is just as sharp. Only 22% of Greeks said they trusted the national parliament, suggesting the skepticism runs well beyond Brussels.
The Eurobarometer is the EU's official public opinion polling instrument, conducted across all member states. Greece's numbers this cycle are a significant outlier across nearly every metric measured.
