Key findings and FRA opinions
| Author | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (EU body or agency) |
| Pages | 10-17 |
Key findings and FRA opinions
What people think and know about human rights
Ë
Nearly 9 in 10 people (88%) in the EU think that human rights are
important for creating afairer society in their country. This ranges from
from a‘low’ of 76% in Hungary to a‘high’ of 96% in Malta. In addition,
almost two thirds (64%) disagree with the statement “human rights
are meaningless to me in everyday life”. This shows that people in the
EU widely believe that human rights can play auseful and meaningful
role in their lives.
ËAt the same time, almost 7 in 10 Europeans (68%) think that some take
unfair advantage of human rights. One third (33%) agrees with the
statement “the only people who benefit from human rights are those
who don’t deserve them– such as criminals and terrorists”.
Ë
The results indicate alink between people’s income and education levels,
and their views on human rights. People who say they struggle to make
ends meet on their household income (that is, have difficulties to pay
for the things they need), and those whose highest completed level of
education is lower secondary education or less, are less likely to feel that
everybody in their country enjoys the same human rights. Meanwhile,
they also feel that some people take unfair advantage of human rights.
Ë
For example 44% of people who find it difficult to make ends meet
agree with the statement that “the only people to benefit from human
rights are those who don’t deserve them, such as criminals and terrorists”.
By comparison, 27% of people who are coping very easily with their
current income do so. In addition, 38% of older people– those aged
65+– agree with this statement, compared with 27% of people aged
16–29. Meanwhile, 43% of persons who experience severe long-standing
limitations in their usual activities– such as people with disabilities or
long-term health problems– agree with the statement, compared with
32% of those who experience no such limitations.
ËIn 11 out of 27 EU Member States, 50% or more agree or strongly agree
that human rights abuses are not really aproblem in their country, but
instead are something that happens ‘elsewhere’.
Breaking down the results by socio-demographic characteristics reveals that
people who are able to make ends meet with ‘difficulty’ or ‘great difficulty’
are less likely to agree (or strongly agree) that human rights abuses are not
really aproblem in their country: 43 % do so, compared with 54% of people
who make ends meet ‘easily’ or ‘very easily’. Men are also more inclined to
express this view (52%) than women (44%).
In line with the new strategic agenda for the EU for 2019–20246, building
afair and social Europe through the implementation of the European Pillar of
6 European Council (2019), Anew strategic agenda 2019-2024.
To continue reading
Request your trial