For two-thirds of Europeans, the world was already better "kleinerzeitung.at

The study surveyed nearly 11,000 people in the European Union in June. According to the Foundation, the survey is representative of the EU.

06:08, November 5, 2018

Two-thirds of Europeans look nostalgically in the past. In a poll published Monday by the Bertelsmann Foundation, 67% of respondents thought the world had been better in the past. In Germany, this represents 61% of citizens. According to the survey, anyone who is nostalgic is more often politically correct.

The study surveyed nearly 11,000 people in the European Union in June. According to the Foundation, the survey is representative of the EU and the five largest Member States that are Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Spain.

According to the survey, nostalgia is more pronounced in Italy. In this country, 77% of citizens say that the world was better before. The lowest percentage in Poland is 59%.

More than half of the Europeans (53%), who are nostalgic, see themselves politically rather in the center. In Germany, the proportion is 51%.

Those who think the past is better than the present are often skeptical about immigration, according to the study. More than half of those who are nostalgic (53%) are convinced that immigrants "take jobs away" from the local population. Three-quarters (78%) even agree with the statement that "immigrants do not want to integrate into society."