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Helen Pasiali and Peter Vida could hardly be more different. Vida, a history teacher, thinks people should be forced to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Pasiali, who works as a cleaner, is firmly opposed to this. She, from Greece, is also in favor of a more liberal migration policy in Europe. He, from Hungary, is opposed because he sees migrants as threatening his country's national identity. Vida, who describes himself as deeply religious, lives in a secluded forest 30 kilometers outside Budapest. Pasiali lives in an apartment in the middle of Thessaloniki. Helen and Peter did not know each other before they met for the first time via video call a few days ago.

Europe Talks 2021 - Zwei europäische Lebenswelten treffen aufeinander Peter Vida aus Ungarn und Helen Pasiali aus Griechenland könnten kaum unterschiedlicher sein. Für Europe Talks sprachen sie über Migration und gleichgeschlechtliche Ehen.
"I think that all people in Europe should get an unconditional basic income" - Helen, 43, Greece

The two are part of more than 16,000 people, who signed up for the Europe Talks discussion format this year. Since October, participants have been meeting for digital one-on-one discussions and debating current political issues that affect all of Europe: Should mandatory vaccination against the Corona virus be introduced? Do we need an unconditional basic income? Should Europe ban the sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2030?

The idea: to bring together people from all over Europe who would never have met otherwise. To enable cross-border conversations between people who would normally never speak to each other.

"For me, marriage can only exist between a man and a woman" - Peter, 31, Hungary

ZEIT ONLINE called for Europe Talks this year together with 22 media partners from 17 countries: among them La Republicca from Italy, The Mirror from Great Britain, El Confidencial from Spain, Gazeta Wyborcza from Poland, Telex from Hungary, LRT from Lithuania and the Times of Malta. They all asked their readers the same controversial yes/no questions, and then asked readers to discuss those same questions with someone from another European country who thinks the opposite. This year, for the first time, participants were able to have more than one conversation, and our matching algorithm regularly matched them with new partners.

10,097 participants 5,048 possible debate pairs

Of the roughly 16,000 people who registered, over 10,000 completed their registration successfully. Just under 640 of them had more than one conversation and met at least two different Europeans. This year, participants registered from a total of 37 countries, with the majority coming from either Germany, Hungary, Austria, Greece or the UK. The average age is around 47, higher than last year's average. Around 71 percent are men, only around 26 percent are women. 

47.1 years average age

71.5  % men

26.5  % women

0.4 percent entered a different gender,
1.6 percent chose not to answer
"For Germans, mandatory vaccination seems absurd. But considering that there have always been compulsory vaccinations in history, it does seem like a good idea." - Carola, 52, Germany

The participants disagree on many questions. On average, they answered 5.7 of 9 questions differently. The most controversial question is the introduction of a Corona vaccination requirement, only about 57 percent are in favor, while about half are against. This shows how controversial the debate on compulsory vaccination is in other European countries as well. Last year, participants in Europe Talks were still relatively unanimous on the issue of pandemic control: around 70 percent were in favor of mandatory masks in public places or agreed with the statement that protecting health should always be the top priority. 

There are also major differences between various countries. While around 85 percent in Italy are in favor of compulsory vaccination, the figure in Germany is just under 57 percent. Italy was hit very early and hard by the pandemic, and compulsory vaccination in medical professions was introduced as early as May of this year. While more than 90 percent of respondents in Greece and Italy are in favor of expelling member countries from the EU if they violate democratic standards, this number is only about 63 percent in Hungary.

One striking difference are that the participants from Greece are most strongly in favor of introducing an unconditional basic income. Another is that, in Lithuania, only around one-third of participants are in favor of taking in more refugees. The country is currently experiencing particularly high migration pressure due to the conflict with Belarus.

"Before my discussion, I thought it was unrealistic to ban the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030 or to introduce an unconditional basic income. But now I think it's important to set goals that seem unrealistic if you want to achieve change." - Daniela, 75, Austria

Also similar to last year, there are major differences between the responses of women and men. While around 73 percent of women overall are in favor of accepting more refugees in Europe, the support among men is only around 56 percent. Almost two-thirds of women are in favor of a ban on the sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2030, while among men the figure is only around 56 percent.  

Age also has an effect on response behavior: Younger participants are more in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages or legalizing cannabis. Younger and older people are also split on the question of whether there should be a vaccination requirement against the coronavirus. Among participants over 65, around 72 percent are in favor of this, while just under 55 percent of the under-65s agree. One explanation could be that older people are affected by severe corona disease more often than average. The highest approval rate for an unconditional basic income is among 30- to 64-year-olds.

This Sunday at 3 p.m., the participants of Europe Talks will meet for the last time to discuss Europe's current issues. The question of how Europe can come out of this pandemic together will be especially in focus. Perhaps the conversations can bring the participants a little closer together along the way.