Migration remains an issue in the Mediterranean but it is not the most important one, according to a survey among 13,000 people scattered across the region.
Results of a new study on Intercultural Trends in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, launched yesterday by the Anna Lindh Foundation, show that while migration does feature as a critical aspect of life in the Euro-Mediterranean region, it is preceded by hospitality and lifestyle.
The survey is the third in a series that kicked off in 2010, providing an insight into how the dynamics of the region have changed over the years. More than 13,000 people across 13 countries were interviewed during the second half of last year.
The countries included eight EU states: Austria, Croatia, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and The Netherlands and five Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Tunisia.
According to the respondents, the key qualities associated with the Mediterranean region are shared history, heritage and way of life – especially cuisine.
Migration, instability and conflict were also acknowledged as relevant aspects but to a much lesser degree.
In the north, 61 per cent strongly associated the Mediterranean with ‘way of life and food’ while 44 per cent saw strong association with migration issues.
In the south, the relevant figure for migration was 60 per cent, but there was a 65 per cent strong association with ‘hospitality’, 59 per cent with common cultural heritage and history, and 52 per cent with way of life.
Meanwhile, when looking for information about the Mediterranean, current events and key concerns, all interviewees chose television as their trusted source.
While the gap between TV and print media in the north was close, print comes well down the rankings in the south, with a high preference for online sources.
Asked whether anything in the media had changed their opinion over the last 12 months, eight per cent in the north said they had more positive views of the south while 18 per cent said they were more negative.
In the south, perceptions of the north were 21 per cent more positive and 26 per cent negative.
And while more than half in the north said that the media had not changed their perceptions of the south at all, only 12 per cent in the south said this of the north. At the same time, however, 38 per cent said they had not seen anything in the media about the north.
The findings of this survey were launched in Valletta on the eve of the EU-South Regional Dialogue – the first event of its kind to bring together Foreign Ministers from the EU and southern neighbourhood, to explore intercultural action in the face of unprecedented regional challenges.
Meanwhile, the Anna Lindh Foundation also launched a Media Observatory, which will monitor media’s coverage of intercultural relations, and provide evidence-based resources and material for journalists.