How can Europe shake off its political and economic woes? The Guardian's five-nation poll suggests citizens in EU's leading nations fear their countries are trapped in a cycle of high debt and low growth - and do not think their governments have the ability to respond.  The results of the unique Guardian ICM poll of Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Poland show common trends and some distinctive differences between countries. It reinforces national stereotypes in some places but highlights real divergence in views elsewhere.  The main message from all five is that European citizens do not trust their governments or the honesty of their politicians, and think that their countries are more likely to become poorer than richer over the next decade. But they also see themselves as socially liberal and, on balance, are likely to support the single currency in those countries that use it.  They also share a similar picture of the threats facing the EU. Climate change, for instance, stands out as an issue few Europeans see as a leading risk. Only about one in 10 people place it as one of the top two challenges, with Germans the most concerned, and Britons apparently the least. a fifth say the rise of China's economy is a major threat, but very few say the same about India.  By contrast, a third say the scale of government debt is a risk, and almost the same proportion pick the rise of Islamist terrorism. a quarter fear migration from outside the EU or more general political and civil unrest, the latter apparently a particular concern in Poland. People seem less concerned by the prospect of the rise of far-right extremists - picked by a little over one in 10 as a threat - or by cuts in government spending.  That last result ties in with an anti-government trend that runs through answers to the poll. There is substantial - although not majority - support for spending cuts and a strong shared belief that EU states are spending too much.  This does not equate to a belief that cuts will promote economic growth, however. Results from Britain in particular suggest people are becoming alarmed by the consequences of the coalition's deficit reduction programme.  State borrowing and growth  across Europe, people are divided about whether cuts should begin now or wait until economic growth is established. While only 10% say there should be no cuts, 42% say they are a priority and 41% think boosting growth should come first. Together, opponents of cuts and those who want to delay them form a majority.  In Britain, only 34% think cuts are the priority against 51% for growth. In Germany those figures are almost exactly reversed. Germany is in favour of cuts, which may be a consequence of funding the bailout of other EU states.  almost everyone thinks their governments are profligate. across the countries surveyed, 78% agree with the statement "the government has been spending too much", against only 8% who disagree. Britain seems the least convinced that the state has been overspending and France the most concerned.  along with that come worries about the scale of state borrowing, with 69% overall saying it is a worry. again in Britain, despite the coalition's emphasis on a debt crisis, people are less concerned about borrowing than those in other EU states which have yet to begin such a sharp deficit reduction programme.  Britain diverges from the four other EU countries in the poll on several answers. Britain, for instance, seems more opposed to migration within and from outside the EU. But France is the outlier on economic prospects: its citizens are twice as pessim