The research does indicate that the British are out of step with continental Europe, being more cautious than their counterparts about giving up national identity. Whereas two in five Italians consider themselves to be more European than Italian, the British are largely uncomfortable with this. Some 75% claim to define themselves as British first.

MORI found that, these differences aside, young adults across the four main EU countries mostly believe that the balance of power will be centralised by around 2010. This is as opposed to power remaining with national governments. However, those surveyed are generally comfortable with the current balance of power. As would be expected, young British respondents display the greatest concern over the possibility of ceding more power to Brussels.

Environmental issues top the agenda for most. The findings show that the main concern for the majority of young Europeans is the environment, with 56% listing that subject as their greatest long-term worry. However, in contrast to their peers in Italy, France and Germany, young Britons list healthcare and education at the top of their concerns. The data show that 52% of Brits ranked education as the top of the list, compared with just 19% in France, 16% in Italy and 9% in Germany. Immigration and race relations did not feature highly among worries in Britain according to this poll, with only 14% of respondents saying they are concerned by it. In France and Italy, by contrast, nearly one third listed immigration and race as top concerns. Traditional media appears to dominate across the EU, with television and newspapers emerging as the most important information channels for "what's going on in the world." Surprisingly for this age group, the Internet was found to score fairly low down, with only around 3% on average saying they use the Web for "acquiring information." Radio also scored lightly, and WAP barely registers at all. Commenting on this new research, James Geary, Special Projects Editor, said, "Our cover story shows a distinctly "European" identity emerging among the Continent's next generation of leaders, an identity based on shared European values that enhance but do not replace national and regional cultures. This cross-fertilisation of cultures and customs bodes well for the success of an increasingly integrated Europe." Stewart Lewis, Director of MORI, added "This European indicator reflects the still-divided nature of Europe, in our younger generation, and some surprising opinions. These people are tomorrow's leaders and we, not to mention today's leaders, should take very seriously their concerns, issues, aspirations and hopes." The TIME survey was conducted by MORI during February and March 2001 with face-to-face omnibus interviews among a representative sample of ABC1 respondents aged 21-35 in the four named countries.