08 May 2014

Reuters: Two weeks before EU elections, 62 per cent 'not interested'

Six out of 10 Europeans are "not that interested" in the European Parliament elections later this month, according to a IPSOS poll, despite huge efforts by campaign managers to make the ballot more relevant.

The survey of nearly 9,000 people in 12 EU countries found 62 per cent were either "not at all" or "not so much" interested in the May 22-25 vote, which will decide the leadership of the European Union for the next five years. Only 35 per cent of respondents said they would definitely vote, substantially below the 43 per cent average turnout at the last election in 2009.

The greatest enthusiasm was registered in Belgium (53 per cent), where voting is required by law, followed by France (44 per cent) and the Netherlands (41 per cent). The lowest was in Britain (27 per cent) and Poland (20 per cent).

Far-right groups are expected to do well or even win the elections in both France and the Netherlands, potentially making them a powerful force in the next European Parliament. The right-wing UKIP party is also expected to do well in Britain.

The survey also provided some interesting views on Europe's leaders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the most recognisable and has the highest approval rating, with 51 per cent either "very positive" or "fairly positive" about her. Britain's David Cameron came second, with 35 per cent of those surveyed broadly positive. The least popular was French President Francois Hollande, with only a 20 per cent positive rating and 32 per cent negative - the highest negative score of any European leader by far.

The elections will not only decide the 751 deputies who will sit in the European Parliament from 2014-2019, but more than likely determine who leads the European Commission, the EU executive that holds the right to propose legislation. Europe's main political groups - the centre-left Socialists, the centre-right EPP and the Liberals - have each nominated a top candidate for the Commission and hope that if they win, their candidate will become the next Commission president.

But in a worrying sign for all three campaigns, which have worked hard to boost the visibility of their candidates over the past two months, the survey showed more than 60 per cent of people do not know who any of the candidates are. The survey was conducted by Ipsos-MORI during April. A total of 8,833 people were polled in Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

Full article

Full ISPOS-MORI poll

© Reuters