The first EU-wide opinion poll conducted since a new European Commission headed by Jan Juncker took office in November shows that confidence in the European Union is increasing.

According to the Autumn 2014 Standard Eurobarometer survey results, published Wednesday, more citizens have a positive image of the European Union and trust in the EU.

For more on the EU, check out our story about an official call for a European strategic investment fund.

There is also considerable public support for the key policy areas outlined in the Commission's Political Guidelines.

The number of Europeans who say they have a positive image of the EU has risen from 35 per cent last June to 39 percent in November. 37 percent have a neutral image and 22 percent a negative image, down from 25 percent in June.

Moreover, the number of Europeans who say they trust the European Union has also risen to 37 percent. This is 6 percentage points up since the previous survey, conducted immediately after the European Parliament elections. The average level of trust in national governments has also risen slightly to 29 percent.

The number of people who say that their voice counts in the EU has declined to 40 percent, after having reached a 10 years peak right after the Europe elections in May.

On the , the expectations of Europeans remain rather stable, with more than one in five of them being optimistic about the next twelve months while 45 percent expect the situation to remain the same. This means that more than six Europeans out of ten think that the economic situation will not worsen. The number of Europeans who think that the impact of the crisis on jobs has already reached its peak is slightly less than those who think "the worst is still to come".

The positive stance on the euro is stable. Support for the single currency has risen in 18 Member States of the Eurozone, most strikingly in Lithuania, which will join the euro zone on 1 January, and Latvia.

Europeans are mostly concerned about the economy and immigration, the survey shows.

In terms of citizens' main concerns, immigration continues to rise in the ranking of the most frequently cited issues at national and EU levels.

The Eurobarometer survey also shows a strong endorsement by citizens of the priority topics set by the Juncker Commission.

On investment within the EU, over 60 percent of Europeans agree public money should be used to stimulate private sector investment at EU level.

On energy, 73 percent of Europeans are favorable to a common energy policy among EU Member States.

Most Europeans regard the single market (the free movement of people, goods and services within the EU) as one of the most positive achievement of the EU, after peace among the Member States.

Regarding the issue of migration, 71 percent of Europeans say they are in favor of a common European policy on migration. Europeans are positive about immigration of people from other EU Member States.



Finally, citizens remain optimistic about the future of the EU. 56 percent (no change) of Europeans say they are optimistic while 37 percent (-1) say they are pessimistic.

The Autumn 2014 Standard Eurobarometer was conducted among a total of 32,598 people across the EU Member States and in the candidate countries.

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