Which European countries believe they are on the wrong path?

Which European country is the most pessimistic about the future? What concerns Europe the most? And which European country is more worried about war than Israel?

According to a recent IPSOS survey conducted in 30 countries around the world, including 11 European countries, 92% of French people believe their country is "sliding down a slope." Moreover, nearly one in three respondents claims that this decline is irreversible.

And it is not just the French who think this way.

Widespread pessimism is also observed in all surveyed European countries, including the Netherlands (83%), Hungary (80%), Germany (77%), Italy (73%), the United Kingdom (73%), and Sweden (72%). This means that the overwhelming majority of Europeans believe their countries are on the wrong path.

Do French voters no longer believe in the existing democratic system?

In France, a striking series of political crises is increasingly affecting negative public sentiment.

After the resignation of three prime ministers in less than a year - Michel Barnier, François Bayrou, and Sébastien Lecornu, who was later reappointed - nearly six in ten French citizens are concerned about the current political crisis.

"In this regard, 81% believe that democracy no longer functions properly and their ideas are not represented," IPSOS reports. This opinion is shared by the majority of voters, except for those who support President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party, Renaissance.

The Bigger Picture: What Has Replaced the Cost of Living as the Main Issue?

The summer of 2025 marked a significant change in the list of most pressing issues in the countries surveyed by IPSOS.

Inflation and the cost of living are no longer the main problems; they have been replaced by crime and violence (33%).

Among European countries, security dominates in France (35%), Germany (35%), Belgium (33%), and especially in Sweden (57%).

However, the overall European picture is not so uniform.

For example, compared to other countries on the continent, Hungarians seem disproportionately concerned about the state of their healthcare (63%), while for respondents from the United Kingdom, the main issue is immigration control (44%).

Meanwhile, the risk of military conflict is becoming increasingly relevant (9th place, +3% since October 2024), becoming the most acute issue in Poland (46%), surpassing even Israel (37%).

Concerns about extremism are also rising in Europe and the U.S., bringing it to 12th place.

Climate change ranks 9th alongside conflicts but has lost four points compared to last year, and none of the surveyed countries indicated it as the main issue requiring resolution, despite the threats it poses, according to the scientific community.

Moreover, the trend from 2021 to 2025 shows that fewer people believe that taking action to address the climate crisis is a priority, especially in Poland (-18%), Germany (-16%), France (-15%), and Spain (-15%).

The Netherlands is the European country most concerned about the climate crisis (21%), while Japan ranks first globally (30%).