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Eurobarometer surveys
Periodic surveys on "Europeans and their languages" are carried out by the Public Opinion Analysys sector of the European Commission. They provide a picture of language knowledge, language learning, and attitudes to language and translation in the EU. So far, 3 surveys have been conducted – in 2001, 2006 and 2012.
2012 survey
Key findings
The survey reveals that Europeans have a very positive attitude towards multilingualism:
- almost all Europeans (98%) think that mastering foreign languages is useful for their children's future; 88% see it as useful for themselves
- almost three quarters (72%) agree with the EU objective that everybody should learn at least 2 foreign languages; 77% think that improvement in language skills should be a policy priority
- 67% see English as one of the two most useful languages for themselves. Among the others most frequently cited as useful are German (17%), French (16%), Spanish (14%) and Chinese (6%).
About the survey
The survey was carried out in spring 2012 on almost 27 000 people from all 27 EU countries and from different social and age groups. Participants were interviewed face-to-face in their mother tongue.
The report contains data on the EU as a whole and broken down by country. Comparisons are drawn with previous surveys. For the first time the survey covers attitudes towards translation. The analysis presents social-demographic and behavioural variables based on the activities of the people interviewed as far as language learning is concerned.
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2006 survey
Key findings
56% of respondents said they were able to speak at least one foreign language. The countries with the highest rates of multilingualism were: Luxembourg, with 99% saying they knew at least one foreign language; Slovakia (97%) and Latvia (95%).
In 2005, 28% of the population interviewed spoke at least two foreign languages. The most popular languages chosen as a first foreign language were English, French and German, followed by Spanish and Russian.
About the survey
Carried out in November-December 2005 on 29 000 people in 29 countries.
Read more:
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Full report
[7 MB] 
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Executive summary [486 KB]
2001 survey
Key findings
53% of respondents said they could speak at least one language in addition to their mother tongue, while 26% said they could speak at least 2 foreign languages.
About the survey
Carried out between in December 2001 on 15 900 people in the 15 EU member countries.
Read more:
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Full report [362 KB]
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Executive summary [77 KB]
