The Changing Security Perceptions of the European Citizens and the European Union

Abstract

Factors affecting the security of the European continent and the European Union countries are evaluated frequently, but the opinions of the citizens on this subject are generally underestimated. This chapter analyses changes in security and threat perceptions of the citizens of the Union. The most reliable source for these transformations is Eurobarometer surveys. Therefore, within the scope of this study, the author tries to understand which subjects are considered as threats by the citizens of the Union, which issues are approached as a security problem, and how these evaluations are taken into consideration by the Union decision makers. One of the most important goals of the study is to analyse the historical change and transformation of the security problems faced by the citizens in economic, social, political, and cultural terms and to analyse the perception of the citizens of the Union.