A YouGov survey across six European countries found no single issue dominating public opinion, with national concerns varying sharply by local priorities. The economy ranked high in most places, but housing in Spain and healthcare in Italy emerged as defining issues that reveal the uneven pressures facing member states as the eurozone struggles with weak growth and geopolitical strain.
The Fiscal Picture
In France, 47% of respondents ranked the economy among the two biggest issues facing the country, while 27% cited immigration. In Germany, 44% ranked the economy among the two biggest issues and 26% cited immigration. Around 68% of French respondents said they expected the economy to worsen over the next 12 months, compared with 58% in Germany. Germany's recent uptick in industrial production has offered limited reassurance, with output still below pre-pandemic levels and recovery described as fragile. The country's export-led economy has faced pressure from weaker demand in both the US and China, particularly in the automotive industry, which was once a key driver of economic growth. In France, first-quarter data showed economic growth stalled as the Iran war weighed heavily on energy prices, while political deadlock complicated efforts to pass reforms to improve public finances.
Spain's biggest concern was housing. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, ranked housing among Spain's two biggest concerns, making it the highest-rated issue across the six countries studied. Healthcare and the economy followed, both selected by 25% of respondents. The report linked those findings to a housing crisis that has dominated political debate in Spain over the past year. Figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute showed house prices rose by almost 13% year-on-year at the end of 2025, the fastest increase in Spain in years and among the fastest in Europe as a whole. In 2025, data suggested a worker would have to devote the equivalent of 8.4 years of average salary to have a chance of purchasing an 80-square-metre home. The Balearic Islands and Madrid were among the most expensive regions for home ownership, while short-term lets in cities such as Barcelona have long sparked locals' anger over the lack of affordable housing.
Healthcare Under Pressure
Italy was the only country surveyed where healthcare emerged as the biggest concern. Some 43% of respondents ranked health and the healthcare system among the country's two biggest issues, ahead of the economy and immigration. The report said Italy's public health services continue to face mounting pressure from staff shortages and an ageing population. Euronews previously reported that the country is short of an estimated 175,000 nurses, with low pay, heavy workloads and limited career prospects contributing to an exodus of trained medical professionals to other European countries.
Denmark stood apart. International terrorism or aggression and climate change were jointly ranked as the country's biggest issues, each cited by 27% of respondents. Immigration followed at 24%, while healthcare and the economy ranked lower.
AI Reshapes European Labour Markets
The survey also found that in four of the five European countries, more than half of all AI-labelled job titles are now beyond tech jobs. Germany led with 59% of AI-labelled titles outside tech, followed by the Netherlands at 58%. In France and the UK, 54% of AI-touched job titles were outside tech occupations. Spain was the exception, with 64% of AI-labelled job titles still in tech roles and 36% in non-tech. The article said employers are not only hiring AI specialists, but are also adding AI to the titles of jobs where the use of AI tools is required, and that including AI in the job title is a deliberate choice that likely means the employer considers AI central to the role.
The data showed AI-labelled job titles in postings have been increasing rapidly across Europe. For the first quarter of 2026, Germany led with 288 AI-labelled job titles, followed by the UK with 160, France with 138, the Netherlands with 84 and Spain with 81. In the first quarter of 2022, four years ago, the figures were much smaller: Germany had 72, Spain 8, France 35, the UK 61 and the Netherlands 21. As of the first quarter of 2026, AI-labelled titles corresponded to 4.2% of all titles in Germany, up from 0.8% four years ago. In France, 3.3% of all titles were AI-labelled, followed by the UK at 2.7%, Spain at 2.3% and the Netherlands at 2.2%. All of those figures were below 1% in every country in 2022.
The shift began mainly in software and data jobs, but has since spread to sales, HR, legal services, customer support and administrative roles. Pawel Adrjan, Director of Economic Research at Indeed, said: "AI-related skills, tasks and tools are becoming mainstream in the labour market." He said Indeed classifies a job title as "AI-labelled" when at least five postings under that label have AI in the employer's job title in a given calendar quarter. He also said: "Employers are not only hiring AI specialists, but they are also adding AI to the titles of jobs where the use of AI tools is required – an indication of how AI is already reshaping jobs." Adrjan added: "Including AI in the job title is a deliberate choice that likely means the employer considers AI as central to the role." Indeed said it focuses on job titles rather than full job description text because the main body of a posting can mention AI in many different contexts that aren't necessarily related to the role itself.
The article also said the adoption of AI tools has accelerated rapidly across Europe, with 15% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU using generative AI for work last year, according to Eurostat. New non-tech job types have emerged, including a UK sales executive posting for a "Solution Sales Executive - AI, Data and Analytics," a lecturer post titled "Lecturer in Digital Business and AI," legal counsel roles including "Legal Counsel, Privacy, Product & AI," and operations associate postings asking for an "Operations Specialist, AI Enablement." In Germany, one HR manager posting looked for someone who can 'use AI in HR to increase efficiency.' In France, employers sought salespeople to sell AI products and solutions. In the Netherlands, postings called for marketing and advertising specialists who use AI.
Why This Matters:
The survey reveals the deep fragmentation of Europe's political priorities at a moment when the eurozone's economic model is under strain. France and Germany face stalled growth and weak industrial output, Spain confronts a housing crisis driven by regulatory failure and speculation, and Italy's healthcare system is haemorrhaging trained staff to higher-paying neighbours. These aren't abstract policy debates — they're fiscal crises that national governments must address without waiting for Brussels coordination. The rapid spread of AI into non-tech jobs shows Europe's labour market is changing faster than its social model can adapt. Competitiveness depends on whether member states can retrain workers, reduce regulatory barriers to hiring, and encourage innovation without stifling it with overregulation. The data suggest Europe's economic future will be shaped by how well national governments respond to local pressures — not by one-size-fits-all EU directives.