Eurobarometer: EP Elections Showed People Worry Most about High Cost of Living

Brussels, October 3 (TASR-correspondent) - The European Parliament on Thursday published a post-election Eurobarometer survey aimed at people's voting behaviour in the recent EP elections and their priorities, TASR has learnt from its Brussels correspondent. The survey showed that rising prices and the cost of living were topics that motivated 42 percent of EU citizens and 54 percent of Slovaks to vote in the most recent EP elections in June. The economic situation served as motivation for 41 percent of EU citizens and 50 percent of Slovaks. The international situation helped to make 34 percent of EU citizens and 43 percent of Slovaks go out to vote. The issue of social protection, social welfare and access to health care was also seen as important in Slovakia, with 37 percent of the respondents stating this as a motivation, compared to 24 percent in the EU. One in three Slovaks (33 percent) and 28 percent of EU citizens came to the polling stations partly due to defence and security in the EU, while the problems of democracy and the rule of law was important for 32 percent both in Slovakia and in the EU as a whole. EP President Roberta Metsola told the media that the turnout in the most recent EP elections was the highest seen in the past 30 years. According to the survey, support for the EU remains high. The future of the Union is viewed optimistically by 65 percent of EU citizens and 66 percent of Slovaks. The EU is perceived positively by 48 percent of EU residents and 47 percent of Slovaks. A negative view of the EU is held by 16 percent of respondents from the EU as a whole and the same proportion of respondents in Slovakia. EU membership is also perceived positively, with 70 percent of EU citizens and 80 percent of Slovaks believing that their country benefits from it. The importance of the EP elections was confirmed by the fact that 56 percent of EU citizens and 63 percent of Slovaks are convinced that their vote has weight in the EU. This was an increase of 8 percentage points when compared to the survey carried out in February and March 2024. The latest Eurobarometer survey was conducted by Verian agency in all 27 EU countries on a sample of 26,349 respondents between June 13 and July 8. ko/df