2024-04-04 03:07:31
Two months before the European elections, rejection of EU membership in Austria is declining. A current survey by the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE) also sees a chance of high voter turnout: 54 percent “certainly” want to cast their vote in the European elections, while 25 percent “more likely” want to vote.
With regard to the reduced number of those in favor of leaving the EU, ÖGfE General Secretary Paul Schmidt even speaks of a “reversal of the trend”: “Two months before the European elections, support for EU membership remains at a stable level of 65 percent. At the same time, the number of those who “The number of people who want to leave the EU has fallen from 29 percent to 23 percent since the beginning of the year, the lowest value in the last two years. A flattening inflation trend, declining migration figures as well as the start of a more intensive European debate are starting to have an impact,” said Schmidt, according to the broadcast .
If all 70 surveys since 1995 are taken into account, the number of supporters of Austrian EU membership is on average 70 percent. The number of those who prefer an EU exit is 22 percent.
“There is also a chance of a relatively high voter turnout in the European elections,” says Schmidt. “In any case, it seems important to the people in Austria to be able to elect the European Parliament directly and they would like to use this opportunity.” According to the survey, 54 percent say they are “certain” to take part in the European elections, and a further 25 percent say this is “somewhat” true. In contrast, only 5 percent say that they will rule out casting their vote, and 8 percent say they will “probably not” go to the polling station on June 9th.
Schmidt sees the current data as a consolidation of a development that has been observed since autumn 2023: 51 percent said in September 2023 and January 2024, respectively, that they would certainly take part in the EU elections, and 27 and 28 percent, respectively, were able to imagine it “rather”.
Almost eight out of ten respondents said that it was “very important” (46 percent) or “somewhat important” (33 percent) to them that the European Parliament was directly elected by citizens in all EU member states. For 13 percent, however, this is “not at all” (8 percent) or “not at all” (5 percent) important. “I’m voting because I always want to make use of my democratic right to vote” – this motive is considered “very important” by a total of 95 percent of those who are “certain” or “likely” to take part in the European elections. (75 percent) or “important” (20 percent). The second most important motivation for voting is the desire for Austria to be well represented in the EU (86 percent “very/somewhat important”). 74 percent want to vote because they believe that “the European Parliament is an important institution in the EU.”
30 percent of those surveyed said the “very important” reasons for not taking part in the European elections were: “Because Austria has nothing to say in the EU anyway” and “Because my vote doesn’t change anything anyway.”
“In the next two months, the public debate on Europe will gain momentum and thus confirm the willingness to vote,” expects Schmidt. “Almost two out of three respondents said that on June 9th they would strengthen the party that they would vote for in the National Council elections. Domestic politics should therefore not be indifferent to the outcome of the European elections.”
The survey was carried out by the market institute from March 19th to 25th on behalf of the ÖGfE. 1,000 people across Austria were surveyed online. The maximum statistical fluctuation range is 3.16 percent.
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