Advantages and disadvantages of the integration to the European Union: The survey among medical freshmen in Serbia

Aim: The study aimed to identify factors associated with pro-integration attitudes to the European Union (EU) among Serbian medical freshmen to promote integration. Methods: In the period from 2010 to 2021, within the scope of the distance learning module "Medicine & Society", a total of 1333 freshmen of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade (1333/1940, i.e., response rate 68.7%) has responded to the semi-structured questionnaire inquiring their perception of the EU integration advantages and disadvantages. The association of the pro-EU attitude (vs cons-EU / undecided) with perceived advantages and disadvantages was presented using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 48.5% of respondents were pro-EU integration, 42.7% were undecided and 8.9% were cons-EU (i.e., 585, 525, and 107, respectively) integration of Serbia. The pro-EU attitude was 55% more likely among male respondents (OR: 1.55, 95% CI:1.14-2.10), among respondents who were able to identify advantages of EU integration such as easier mobility (OR: 2.87, 95% CI: 1.80-4.57), variety of job opportunities (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.45-2.93), and among those for whom competition at the EU healthcare market is not a disadvantage of the EU-integration (OR: 8.56, 95% CI: 1.79-40.92). The pro-EU attitude was less likely among respondents who identified high emigration of medical doctors as a disadvantage of the EU integration, by 45% (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.84). Conclusion: During the last decade, the share of Serbian medical freshmen with pro-EU and undecided attitudes suggests the need for a stronger international initiative of EU and national actors. Advantages such as easier mobility, competition in the EU healthcare market, and a variety of employment opportunities promote an integrationist attitude, in contrast to the large emigration of medical doctors.