Author: European Commission
Publisher: European Commission
Date of Publication: 2012
Key messages:
- Almost nine out of ten EU citizens believe that the ability to speak foreign languages is very useful and 98% say that mastering languages will be good for the future of their children.
- However, tests carried out among teenage pupils in 14 European countries show that only 42% are competent in their first foreign language and just 25% in their second. A significant number, 14% in the case of the first foreign language and 20% in the second, do not achieve even the level of 'basic user'.
- More than half of Europeans (53%) use languages at work and 45% think they got a better job in their own country thanks to their foreign language skills.
- Almost three quarters (72%) agree that at least two foreign languages should be taught from a very early age and 77% believe it should be a political priority.
- The number of Europeans who say they can communicate in a foreign language has fallen slightly, from 56% to 54%.
- The number of Europeans who regularly use foreign languages on the internet, through social media for example, has increased by 10 percentage points, from 26% to 36%.