44% of EU Citizens Feel Well-Protected in the Digital World

While the European Union has taken a global lead in regulating the digital economy, survey data paints a mixed picture of the effectiveness of those efforts.

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, 83 percent of EU citizens consider it important for authorities to ensure that AI and digital technologies respect European rights and values, suggesting broad public support for a strong regulatory framework. At the same time, only 44 percent say they feel well protected by the EU in the digital world.

The results point to a gap between the bloc’s regulatory ambitions and how secure citizens actually feel online. In other words, while there is broad backing for stricter rules, many Europeans remain unconvinced that existing measures are fully effective in practice.