Europeans' interest in the next election for the European Parliament is significantly greater than before the last election, five years ago, according to a European Union survey released this Wednesday (17).
Poverty, health, jobs and defense are seen as the most important issues for voters.
About 60% of respondents said they were very or somewhat interested in the election, which will take place between June 6 and 9, compared with 49% before the 2019 election, according to the Eurobarometer survey.
The majority of citizens from the bloc's 27 members, or 81%, interviewed in February and March, said that the international context – marked by armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East – made the vote even more important.
“Europeans are aware that the risks are high,” Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a video message.
The only country that did not show an increase in interest was France. Only 27% of respondents said they had a positive image of the European Parliament, the lowest national score.
The EU conducts regular Eurobarometer surveys to track public opinion across the bloc, but they do not measure support for political parties.
Other recent polls suggest that nationalist and EU-skeptical parties, mostly far-right, will make gains in the election.
In the survey, 33% of respondents chose poverty as the main issue for the election, while 32% chose public health.
Next came the economy and job creation, along with defense and security – both chosen by 31% of those interviewed.
The fight against climate change fell from third place in the survey at the end of 2023 to fifth place, being chosen by 27% of respondents.
Some 71% of Europeans said they are likely to vote, compared with 61% in 2019.
Source: CNN Brasil
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