I have just been reading the results of a survey on the EU carried out during 2018 by the Pew Research Center, a Washington based, non partisan think tank. The survey covers a wide range of topics, including the role of the UK, France and Germany in the EU, the economy, immigration, refugees etc.
The median rating of favourable views for the EU was 62% whereas it was lower for the Commission and the EU Parliament. (48% for the Commission and 50% for the Parliament). I don't think that the ratings for the governance of the EU would be a surprise to anyone but the popularity of the EU itself suggests to me that the people hoped that improvements could be made.
It is a sadness to me that the people of the UK could not see that we could have helped in making the necessary changes. I don't think that they realised how important to the EU we once were, albeit many years ago, and the opportunities that have been wasted.