Opinion poll

For once, the silent vote turned out to be a positive surprise. Following the results of the 2012 and 2015 elections, commentators became very cautious of heeding opinion polls. Similarly, we would take the opinions of our peers with a grain of salt, deeming that we were somewhat out of touch with society.

But as one friend says: "It's better if the result exceeds your expectations."

Greeks have overwhelmingly decided who they are going to vote for in the upcoming European elections, according to the first public opinion poll conducted on the issue by Pulse and published on Monday.

The government usually acts as if it were the hegemonic and dominant political force of the country.

The hegemony they are touting is not real. Citizens exhibit and reveal a different story in all their actions ahead of upcoming local, European Parliament, and national elections.

The most trusted institution among Greeks is the army, according to an opinion poll published Friday by Public Issue.

More specifically, 89 percent of those polled said they have confidence in the way the country's armed forces operate.

The survey also showed that the Hellenic Police is the second most trusted institution, with 72 percent, ahead of schools with 66 percent.

Greeks are pessimistic about the course of the national economy and their personal finances next year, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday.

Europeans with populist views believe less in the media than other citizens and are much more critical of media coverage on key topics such as immigration, the economy and crime. This has found a study by the Phu Research Center, conducted among 16,000 people in 8 West European countries quoted by the Guardian.

The most recent opinion polls suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin is the most trusted foreign leader for the Serbian nationals, gaining support from 58% of the polled Serbs, the iPolitika newspaper said on Wednesday.

Italy's parliament will be dissolved between Christmas and the New Year, a parliamentary source said on Wednesday, opening the way for national elections in early March that look unlikely to throw up a clearcut winner, according to Reuters. 

New Democracy called on Tuesday on Greece's broadcasting watchdog to ensure that the law is upheld when opinion polls are conducted and published.

The conservatives complained to the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) after the publication of a survey by a polling company called Commonview, which indicated that New Democracy has a narrow lead over SYRIZA.

The US showed the most substantial decline in approval ratings of all countries polled this year, according to Country Ratings Poll for the BBC World Service. Double-digit increases in negative views of the US came from traditional allies.