As the sovereignty debate picks up in Brussels, BSA has advocated that true digital sovereignty should be based on openness, competition, and customer choice. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by BSA confirms this approach – that Europeans favor freedom of choice in choosing technology providers and strongly value quality, price, and security over the location of a company’s headquarters, according to new public opinion research published by the Business Software Alliance.
Amid a growing debate in Brussels and national European capitals on how best to spur the development of homegrown technology services, a BSA survey conducted by YouGov of over 5,300 Europeans across France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Spain found that the public cares most about the quality and security of technology services.
Europeans evaluate tech services for quality, price, and security – not headquarter location
BSA asked respondents to identify the top two most important criteria in selecting a technology provider. The results were clear: European consumers evaluate technology providers on what the product does, what it costs, and how it best protects their data — not on where the company is based.
Thinking about how you choose a technology provider (e.g., email, cloud storage, etc.), which of the following is most important in your decision? Please choose up to two.
| 5-mkt Avg | ES |
DE |
IT |
PL |
FR |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The quality of the service | 44 |  46 |
 40 |
 47 |
 42 |
 43 |
| The price of the service | 43 | 40 |
42 |
45 |
44 |
45 |
| Data security | 43 | 27 |
49 |
42 |
54 |
43 |
| Reputation of the technology provider | 12 | 14 |
10 |
12 |
12 |
14 |
| If the provider is headquartered in the EU or an allied country | 8 | 4 |
14 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
| The brand of the technology provider | 6 | 9 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
| Something else | 2 | 5 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Don’t know | 10 | 14 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
10 |
These averages have been calculated by BSA using the national results from each country.
The findings underscore that Europeans will look to quality, price, and security as chief factors in evaluating technologies. For BSA companies, which are the leading enterprise software companies headquartered in Europe, the United States, and other global markets, and providing services across the globe, it underscores the need for EU policies to affirm openness to best-in-class technology, AI, cloud, and software solutions.
Europe can strengthen its autonomy by building up its digital capabilities—not by shutting partners out, a finding also highlighted in another survey response.
Europeans want choice in determining tech services
A separate question found that Europeans want freedom of choice and openness in determining their technology providers. By a roughly 2.5-to-1 margin, respondents said Europeans should be free to choose technology providers that follow EU rules, regardless of where it is headquartered, rather than being limited to providers based on location of headquarters.
Assuming that all tech providers follow EU rules, which of the following comes closest to your view?
| 5-mkt Avg | ES |
DE |
IT |
PL |
FR |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europeans should be able to choose which tech providers they use, regardless of where in the world the provider is headquartered | 60 | 65 |
57 |
57 |
67 |
52 |
| Europeans should only be able to choose tech providers that are headquartered within the EU | 25 | 22 |
27 |
24 |
21 |
29 |
| Don’t know | 16 | 14 |
16 |
19 |
13 |
20 |
These averages have been calculated by BSA using the national results from each country.
For enterprise software companies that invest significant time and resources in developing compliance programs for EU law to serve customers across the single market, these findings affirm the need for a level playing field and open competition for serving businesses across every sector in Europe.
How enterprise software serves Europe
BSA members have made substantial, long-term investments in Europe’s digital ecosystem. This includes providing sovereign cloud services, industrial AI, cybersecurity tools, and other critical systems of record that help European businesses grow and thrive in a digital economy. BSA members do substantial research and development in Europe and provide jobs across all Member States.
BSA’s advocacy before EU institutions has emphasized the need for a constructive, transatlantic, and globally coordinated approach to technology policies that advance the responsible development and adoption of technology. BSA member companies have given voice to their longstanding ties to Europe and the ways enterprise software companies serve customers across the continent.
Maintaining openness to competition and anchoring policy in interoperability, risk-based and technology-neutral governance, cybersecurity, secure cross-border data flows, public procurement, and digital skills helps strengthen Europe’s resilience and broadly spread the benefits of technology.
About the survey
BSA commissioned survey results of 5,355 adults from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland through YouGov’s European Political Monthly survey.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 5,355 adults (1022 in France, 1142 in Germany, 1117 in Spain, 1067 in Italy, 1007 in Poland). Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th and 17th April 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in each of the five respondent countries (aged 18+).