Local politicians of the EU and the future of Europe

Conducted by European Public Affairs, this is the first ever survey targeting all local politicians in the EU. There are more than one million politicians elected at the subnational level in the 27 member states of the EU.

The Flash Eurobarometer survey ‘Local politicians of the EU and the future of Europe’, conducted by Ipsos' European Public Affairs and commissioned by the European Committee of the Regions, the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives, is the first ever survey targeting all local elected politicians in the EU. In the 27 Member States of the EU, there are more than one million politicians elected at the subnational level, including in federal states, regions, provinces, departments, municipalities, etc.

The survey was conducted via computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI). Local politicians were invited using email invitations. Ipsos' European Public Affairs collected the email addresses online, from publicly available sources; more than 20,000 email addresses were collected. Fieldwork took place between 21 July and 9 September 2021 during which close to 3 300 interviews were completed across the 27 countries.

The survey looks into how local and regional representatives see their relationship with European and national policymakers, what topics they would prioritise at the EU level, and how aware they are of EU-wide initiatives and EU funding opportunities.

The survey findings show that local elected politicians would like to get engaged more in policy-making at both the EU and national level, and tend to find they currently lack influence at these levels of government.

  • 54% of respondents think it is "very important" to increase the influence of regions and local authorities on national policymaking.
  • 46% of respondents think it is "very important" to increase the influence of regions and local authorities on EU policymaking.

Especially EU climate and environment policy is subject local elected politicians would like to have more leverage over.

  • 59% want local and regional authorities to have more influence on EU climate and environment policies.

Download the survey report or Find the full results here

Related news

  • enseignement ipsos belgique
    Education Press release

    L'enseignement, un levier pour l'avenir ? Les Wallons en doutent de plus en plus

    Alors que 34 % des Flamands portent un regard positif sur l’enseignement, ce n’est le cas que pour 16 % des Wallons. Chez ces derniers, 51 % le jugent même explicitement mauvais. Le même sondage réalisé par Ipsos révèle également que les différences entre les deux régions vont au-delà de la simple perception de la qualité. La confiance dans l’enseignement en tant que moteur d’opportunités de carrière et de la mobilité sociale est également nettement plus faible en Wallonie.
  • Ipsos Belgie - onderwijs
    Education Press release

    Onderwijs als hefboom voor de toekomst? Vlamingen en Walen denken daar anders over

    Terwijl 34% van de Vlamingen het onderwijs positief beoordeelt, geldt dat slechts voor 17% van de Walen. Daar beoordeelt zelfs 51% het expliciet als slecht. Uit dezelfde bevraging van Ipsos blijkt eveneens dat de verschillen tussen de landsdelen verder gaan dan de perceptie van kwaliteit alleen. Ook het geloof in onderwijs als motor voor carrièrekansen en sociale mobiliteit ligt in Wallonië beduidend lager.
  • Ipsos Education Monitor Survey Report 2026
    Education Survey

    Ipsos Education Monitor: Can education still unlock opportunity?

    In this year’s Ipsos Education Monitor, we look at evolving attitudes towards social media and AI, the role universities play in shaping success, and expectations for the next generation.