EU surveys consistently show that the Danish population is very cosmopolitan.

Eurobarometer, the EU statistics office, concludes in a recent survey that Danish society is the most cosmopolitan in Europe, writes Jyllands-Posten.

This conclusion is based on two observations. In the first place, the Danes have a very positive attitude with regard to young people's relations across different cultures. Secondly, in the opinion of the majority of the Danes young people should not be held back by traditions. Altogether, this makes the Danes European champions in being citizens of the world.

According to Eurobarometer's survey 56 per cent of Danes are openly cosmopolitan in attitude, followed by 48 per cent among Swedes and 47 per cent among the Dutch. By contrast, the attitudes of the populations of new EU member countries are at rock bottom. On average, only 25 per cent of people in the EU have a cosmopolitan attitude, while the rest are either against cultural interchange or in favour of maintaining strong traditions.

Some people may wonder about Denmark's high ranking when it comes to being open-minded to other cultures. However, Rune Stubager, lecturer at Aarhus University and scholar of the Danes' attitude to political values, relates the high ranking to the high level of education in Denmark.

"The actual figures may be discussed, since we do not know how the questions have been put in Danish. But there is no doubt about the overall tendency: the Danes do not show the same scepticism towards immigration as the southern and eastern European populations. As a matter of fact, the Danes are among the most positive population groupings in Europe," he says.