A survey commissioned by the State Shared Service Centre (SSSC) and conducted by Norstat mapped the awareness of residents of Estonia regarding EU structural support subsidies at the end of last year. A total of 1,000 residents of Estonia aged 18–74 participated in the survey. According to the results, 96% of the residents of Estonia are aware of EU subsidies (compared to 95% in 2024). Awareness of projects financed by EU subsidies in the respondents’ own region has also grown slightly – 38% of respondents had heard of such projects (2024: 36%).
‘The high level of awareness among the people of Estonia shows that EU subsidies are visible in society and their impact is felt in everyday life – from roads and schools to environmental projects’, said Johanna Mändar, Communication Coordinator of EU Cohesion Funds at the SSSC. ‘At the same time, the survey shows that there is still work to be done regarding awareness among young people and at the regional level, which gives us a clear focus for our communication efforts. For example, last autumn we ran a social media campaign specifically targeting a younger audience at the regional level, highlighting examples of specific funded projects such as Supeluse Street in Pärnu, Tammede Park in Viimsi, and the kood/Võru learning centre’, Mändar added.
EU Structural Fund logos have been noticed by 96% of the residents of Estonia, with 46% directly associating them with EU funding. Thirty-one per cent of the residents of Estonia have had direct contact with EU subsidies (2024: 29%). The most common forms of contact were participating in EU-funded projects (15%) or attending training events and seminars organised with the help of EU subsidies (14%).
EU subsidies are most commonly associated with the road network and transport
Among the areas in which subsidies are used, the development of the road network and transport were mentioned most frequently (33% and 82%, respectively). Education and research (30%) and construction and renovation (24%) were also spontaneously mentioned. Among the specified areas, environmental protection ranked second (73%).
A total of 51% of the residents of Estonia would like to receive more information about EU subsidies (2024: 54%), with the greatest interest in general information on applying for subsidies, the education and research sector, and construction and renovation-related subsidies.
Information about EU subsidies is most commonly obtained from television (37%), national newspapers (25%), social media (23%), and friends and acquaintances (23%). The EU subsidies website www.rtk.ee is known by 25% of residents, a level unchanged from the previous year. Interest in receiving information via Instagram has grown year on year.
Criticism has declined slightly
The assessment of the impact of EU subsidies is predominantly positive – 74% of respondents see a positive impact on the development of the Estonian economy (2024: 72%), 78% see a positive impact on Estonia’s development in general (2024: 76%), and as many as 89% see a positive impact on the development of their city or region (2024: 86%). A total of 27% of respondents consider the distribution of EU subsidies to be transparent, which is slightly more than the year before (2024: 23%). The main points of criticism raised were a lack of information and the complexity of applying for subsidies. The SSSC addresses this systematically by simplifying access to information channels and offering more guidance materials and advisory support. For example, on the SSSC website anyone can check exactly where EU subsidies are being invested in their local area and how the use of EU subsidies is progressing across Estonia as a whole.
The survey of the awareness of the residents of Estonia regarding EU structural support subsidies has been conducted regularly since 2005.
The full survey report is available in Estonian on the SSSC website.
