Latvians feel their opinion does not matter in EU - survey

RIGA - Latvians, compared to citizens in other European Union (EU) member states, are more likely to believe that they and Latvia as a state have no say in the bloc, a new Eurobarometer survey shows. 

Respondents in Latvia and other EU countries were asked if they agree that their opinion matters in the EU. The survey revealed that 85 percent of respondents in Latvia feel that their opinion does not matter and only 15 percent said their opinions matter in the EU. 

Across the EU, 52 percent of the polled people said that their opinions are disregarded in the EU and 43 percent said that their opinions are taken into consideration. Meanwhile, 5 percent of respondents could not provide a definitive answer to the question. 

The respondents were also asked if their opinions mattered in their own country. Most respondents in Latvia, or 77 percent, said their opinions did not matter in Latvia and 23 percent said that their opinions mattered in their country. 

In the EU, 58 percent of respondents fell that their opinions matter in their home countries and 39 percent said that their opinions did not matter. Three percent could not answer the question. 

The Eurobarometer survey was conducted from November 1 to 2, 2021, polling 1,001 people in Latvia and 26,510 across the EU.