Greeks worry about the ‘brain drain’ more than immigration

Greeks are more concerned about the brain drain than they are about the influx of immigrants and refugees to their country.

A study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) found that more than 50 per cent of respondents in the survey conducted by YouGov in Greece called for measures to be taken to prevent Greeks from leaving the country.

The European-wide survey also showed that Spaniards, Poles, Hungarians and Romanians – countries in northern Europe with the highest rates of population decline – share Greek respondents’ sentiments.

In northern Europe, respondents expressed great concerns about immigration.

The 50,000 people that participated in the survey stated that they worry about Islamic radicalisation with 1 in 5 Europeans voicing concerns. The highest rates of concern were in countries like Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Greece is also one of the countries concerned about corruption with more than 50 per cent of Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, Romanians, Spaniards and Slovakians rating it as a high concern. Greece, Italy and Romania rated the economy as their top problem.