Covid-19 Pandemic as a Contemporary Challenge and Determinant of EU Citizens’ Priorities

¹ University of Plovdiv Paisii Hilendarski, Department of Political Sciences and National Security, 24 Tsar Asen Str., Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria
² University of Plovdiv Paisii Hilendarski, Department of Management and Quantitative Methods in Economics, 24 Tsar Asen Str., Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria

^* Corresponding author: daniela.pastarmadzhieva@uni-plovdiv.bg

Abstract

The challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have numerous dimensions. Although the public and the health care systems are the most affected by the situation, the indirect consequences may last longer. One of the areas, which has been put under stress is the relations between the society and the state. These relations determine the overall stability and performance of the states, which is also valid for supranational entity as the European Union (EU). In order to protect its stability, the member states of the latter need to respond the expectation and priorities of their citizens. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to identify if there is a change in the priorities of the EU citizens and what is it. The object of the study are the countries, members of the European Union, studied from 2016 to 2020. Focus of the research is the topics, most relevant for the citizens of EU member states. The data used is from Euro barometer and for the purposes of the analysis statistical methods (frequencies and cross tables) and comparative approach are used. The results show that generally the top priorities of the EU citizens are the same, but their intensity varies across the studied years.