Dortmund, Germany - Two-thirds of Europeans view the past more positively than the present, and are sceptical about immigration and membership of the European Union, a survey shows.

The Bertelsmann Foundation, an independent research group linked to the Bertelsmann media empire, conducted the survey of 10,885 people in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland in June.

The survey found that 67 per cent of those asked were nostalgic. In Germany the figure was 61 per cent.

A total of 78 per cent of those who hark back to the past feel that immigrants do not want to integrate into society, while 63 per cent of the non-nostalgic respondents were of that opinion.

Nostalgia is a sign of great uncertainty in society, Isabell Hoffmann, a co-author of the study, said.

The foundation said it carried out the survey in June in the five largest EU member states and that it was representative of the EU as a whole.