Europeans’ greatest concerns are the risk of cyberbullying or harassment that children face on social media (mentioned by 71% of respondents) and the risk of online harassment or sexual exploitation of children on social media (70%).
To further strengthen the protection of children online, 36% of Europeans believe that the EU should adopt EU-level rules prohibiting social media providers from offering their services to children below a certain age, while 27% believe that the EU should introduce rules requiring social media providers to delay access to certain potentially harmful social media services until children reach a specified age.
For Europeans, the most important elements of a democratic society are freedom of expression (34%), free and fair elections (32%), and respect for the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights (31%).
More than two-thirds (68%) agree that the EU should strengthen its ability to defend itself autonomously against potential external threats, while 56% trust the European Union to strengthen European security and defence and provide better protection for its citizens.
More than half (56%) say that increasing renewable energy capacity — for example, through new wind and solar farms — can help the EU move away from fossil fuels.