Europeans strive toward multilingualism and value language diversity, according to latest Eurobarometer
The “Europeans and their languages” Eurobarometer survey reveals citizen’s attitudes, knowledge, and use of languages, while comparing the trend evolution since its previous edition in 2012.
Many of the figures confirm that peoples' responses are aligned with several of the European Education Area initiatives.
Multilingualism and language diversity
Overall, EU citizens have positive attitudes towards multilingualism and value language diversity.
- For 76% of Europeans, improving language skills should be a policy priority
- 86% think everyone should speak at least one other language than their mother tongue
- 84% think regional and minority languages should be protected
Foreign language proficiency
Since 2012, Europeans have slightly increased their proficiency in foreign languages, especially young people:
- 4 out of 5 of young Europeans (15-24 years old) can have a conversation in a foreign language (5% increase)
- 31% of Europeans proficient in a foreign language use it on a daily basis (8% increase)
- 47% Europeans can speak English (5% increase), making it the most popular foreign language. They also consider it as very important for personal development
How people learn foreign languages has also changed. Especially in the case of English, young people increase their language proficiency by using the internet and social media. When it comes to watching films, the majority of Europeans (53%) and in particular youth (65%) now prefer subtitles to dubbed content.
When thinking about the main benefits of learning a new language, Europeans include:
- job opportunities (51%)
- the ability to understand people from other cultures (45%)
- getting a better job in the country where they live (42%)
- using it on holidays abroad (42%)
- using it at the workplace and on business trips (40%)
EU support for multilingualism
Multilingualism is essential for mobility and mutual understanding across borders. The 2019 Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages aims at encouraging young people to improve this proficiency. This objective includes the proficiency of the language of schooling plus two languages by the end of the secondary cycle of education.
About the Eurobarometer survey
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews across the 27 EU countries, during September-October 2023.
It gathers responses provided by almost 27 000 Europeans aged 15 and above, coming from diverse demographic backgrounds.