South By North Strategies, Ltd.

A new survey by the German Marshall Fund of the United States compares the economic policy views of American and European leaders to those of their respective public.

Stark differences between European public and leaders emerged when asked whether using the euro had been a good thing or a bad thing for their country. While 85% of the leaders were positive about the introduction of the euro, only 38% of the European public responded positively.
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The U.S. public felt hardest-hit by the current economic crisis, with 76% stating that they or their families had been affected within the past 12 months. This is in contrast with the U.S. leaders, of which 65% were affected, a 11-percentage-point difference. So far, Europeans seem to have gone through the crisis a little better, although majorities still felt affected. Moreover, the difference between leaders and the public in Europe was smaller than in the United States, with 52% and 61% respectively saying they had been affected in the past year.
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When asked who should have the primary responsibility for dealing with the current economic crisis, a majority of the European leaders (61%) stated that this should be the responsibility of the European Union. The European public — on the other hand — was split between supporting the EU (39%) and national governments (46%) to lead their country through the crisis.