The elections to the European Parliament will be held between June 6 and 9 and the European Parliament has published its latest opinion survey in which an increase in citizens' interest in these elections is perceived and predicts an increase in participation compared to 2019 .
71% of those surveyed say that if the elections were held next week, they would “probably” vote in the election of the 720 MEPs who will make up the European Parliament. In almost all countries, including Spain, there is an increase in interest in participating of 10 percentage points compared to the same period in 2019. Likewise, 53% of Europeans believe that it is of “great importance” to vote in these elections, with an increase of 6 percentage points compared to autumn 2023.
81% of those surveyed believe that given the international context it is important to vote in these elections. And 60% of them declare themselves “interested” in the elections. In Spain that interest is 58%, with an increase of 19 percentage points compared to the same period five years ago. The age group most predisposed to vote is between 40 and over 55 years old, with people who identify more with the left of the parliamentary arc. 78% of European respondents who say they would vote declare themselves left-wing.
When asking respondents what they believe should be the main priorities of EU policy, 33% of Europeans consider that it should be the fight against poverty and social exclusion, followed by public health (32%). In third place, and this is radically new, the defense and security of the European Union appear, tied with the economy and employment (31%).
The differences between countries are notable. While in the Baltic countries security and defense are among the most important points, in Spain the fight against poverty and the improvement of public health are. The interest of the Baltics in security and defense policies is explained by their geographical proximity to the theater of war in Ukraine, and also by their proximity to the aggressor country, Russia.
Spain and Greece, on the contrary, are two countries at the forefront of unemployment in the European Union, and give greater importance to the fight against poverty and unemployment. Both were hit hard by the 2010 recession and both suffered cuts in public healthcare.
Interest in immigration also increases, 23%, with special relevance in Malta, and in agriculture, another 23%, a sector that has been the protagonist of protests throughout Europe in recent months.
The survey also reveals that the perception that citizens have of the European Union has improved in recent years and has done so at the pace of the successive crises that have affected it, the covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. 73% of Europeans say that the decisions made in the Union have an impact on their daily lives. This is the highest figure since records began. In most European countries, respondents say they are “optimistic” about the future of the EU, with an average of 61%, while in Spain, traditionally more pro-European, it is 63%.
