According to the first ever Eurobarometer survey conducted at a regional level, public perception across the EU of the current economic situation and quality of life indicate major variations not only at national level but even more so at a regional level. The report results also show that with the exception of certain parts of Germany, unemployment is the top priority and main concern across all the EU regions, and environment has almost gone off the agenda of most citizens.

The main findings of the first ever Eurobarometer survey conducted at a regional level unveil that representatives from all levels of government have a crucial role to play to ensure that Europe is communicated effectively locally. Moreover, it indicates major variations among citizens across the EU with regard of the current economic situation and quality of life not only at national level but even more so at a regional level. In July 2012, the European Commission published another survey indicating that 4 out of 10 people took the view that the EU is heading in the right direction to emerge from the crisis.

With regard to the economic situation, although the results show a predominantly negative view of the situation at EU level (71% of the respondents considering it as "bad"), their distribution are very diverse. For example 99% of respondents from the Drenthe region in the Netherlands view the region's economic situation as being "good", in stark contrast to 4% in some Portuguese regions. A rather gloomy view about the evolution of the economic situation in the near future is found in a higher number of regions all over the EU, suggesting that even in countries where the economic situation is good, citizens tend to be nervous about the future.

Also there exists a clear distinction between Northern and Western EU regions when asked about quality of life. On the one hand, a majority of the respondents from Northern EU regions consider the quality of life as being "good", and on the other, citizen's perceptions are more negative at the East and South. The results however also show that the perception of quality of life is not only explained by economic factors.