Europe in a Reality Show? What the European Sentiment Compass Tells Us About Belonging

The European Sentiment Compass is an annual survey of European governments’ attitudes towards the EU and European citizens’ relationships to Europe. It is produced by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). The Compass takes the pulse of how Europeans see themselves, their values, and their place in the world, mapping trust, belonging, and identity across the continent. The 2025 edition, Reality Show: Why Europe Must Not Cave in to Trump’s Culture War, was launched on 23 September at the House of European History in Brussels, bringing together the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sabine Verheyen, Member of European Parliament, Brando Benifei, Caroline de Gruyter, European Affairs Correspondent for NRC Handelsblad, Pawel Zerka, Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR and author of the Compass, Andre Wilkens, Director of ECF and a hybrid audience. 

This year’s Compass shows that while Trump’s America is waging a culture war to deepen divisions and fuel polarisation, so far European sentiment holds. Trust in the Union is at its highest since 2007. In nearly every member state, people feel attached to Europe, and many – especially younger generations – see collective action not as lofty rhetoric but as a practical response to a volatile world. 

As Pawel Zerka put it: “Trump’s America offers Europe a foil – a contrast that helps us better understand who we are and what we stand for.” 

The launch showed how strongly the Compass findings connect to today’s European debate. Speakers emphasised that citizens continue to look to Europe for protection in turbulent times. Caroline de Gruyter captured this sentiment, explaining that many people now see Europe as a nest, a place of safety that national governments can no longer provide on their own. 

Yet reassurance alone is not enough. The divisions visible on Europe’s streets and across its digital spaces demand a stronger collective response. Sabine Verheyen warned that cultural rifts cross borders and infiltrate platforms and public life, and she argued that the answer must be more Europe, not less. 

The question of EU leadership and reform also emerged. Brando Benifei posed the question whether Europe already surrendered to the States in terms of cultural hegemony and called for EU reforms as the system is no longer working. The Union was created at times when the EU was more united and agreeing among each other’s. “We cannot wait for everybody to be on board” but need to break free from vetoes. on things. The EU must adapt to today’s fractured political and cultural realities. 

For the European Cultural Foundation, the European Sentiment Compass is not only a mirror of Europeans’ feelings, but also a guide. It identifies what investment and action are needed to strengthen cultural confidence, digital independence and democratic resilience. Its findings affirm the relevance of our focus areas, as essential elements of a healthy democracy that citizens demand: 

• At times of cultural wars, disinformation and misinformation, investing in digital citizenship is vital. It contributes to strengthening Europe’s resistance to populist narratives, equipping citizens with skills for critical thinking, safe online participation, and building European digital platforms instead of depending on imported ones; 

• Libraries are not only shelves of books, but safe places of dialogue, community-building and social imagination. They are spaces where people interact with each other, negotiate differences and imagine possible futures together. Libraries are a “European social network” that can connect local trust with European belonging; 

• Recognition that crises cannot be faced at national level alone and they demand European solutions is reflected in our call for philanthropy with a European purpose: pooling and aligning resources to sustain democracy, culture, and solidarity across borders;  

• Despite wars, crises, and economic pressures, solidarity across Europe remains resilient, even if strained. Through Culture of Solidarity, we support civic-led, cross-border initiatives that strengthen unity when it is most tested. 

As André Wilkens and Pawel Zerka wrote in their Euractiv Op-ed, Europe is in a culture war with Trump’s America – and it shouldn’t be afraid to fight, European sentiment is not abstract utopianism. It’s about real feelings for Europe and Europeans’ readiness to fight for them.  

The European Sentiment Compass has already sparked European-wide debate and gone beyond EU borders. As The Guardian reported: “Trump is waging a culture war on Europe by promoting rightwing allies.” In Volkskrant, André Wilkens and Pawel Zerka argued that Europe cannot shy away from this fight. As the Portuguese media Público noted, the report uses The Truman Show as an analogy for Europe’s political situation, describing it as forced to react to crises created or aggravated by the Trump Administration. Coverage in Le Figaro and Al Jazeera echoed the same conclusion: the Compass speaks to Europe’s most pressing questions of identity and belonging. 

Methodology 

To understand European sentiment in 2025 and how it may evolve in the years to come, the European Cultural Foundation commissioned the European Council on Foreign Relations  study surveying the 27 EU member States. ECFR’s network of 27 associate researchers investigated their governments and citizens’ attitudes towards Europe, paying particular attention to whether and how these have been impacted by  Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The researchers conducted interviews with relevant policymakers and policy experts and drew on opinion polls and other sources, and in July 2025 they completed a standardised survey. This allows the comparison of the 27 member states on three major issues: 

• The broader evolution of attitudes towards Europe on the part of EU27 governments and citizens; 

• The extent to which Donald Trump’s re-election has an impact on politics in EU member states;  

• Perceptions of Europe’s performance in the second Trumpian age. 

European Sentiment 

In using the concept of the “European sentiment”, we have been inspired by the works of Swiss philosopher and founder of the European Cultural Foundation, Denis de Rougemont, who in the aftermath of the second world war wrote about the need to awaken a “common sentiment of the European.” 

In the first edition of the European Sentiment Compass, we elaborated on the way this concept could be operationalised for the analysis of today’s Europe. The working definition of European sentiment used in this paper understands it as a sense of belonging to a common space, sharing a common future, and subscribing to common values which is best observed against the background of major shocks and events. 

Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash