Poll hints at low voter turnout in EU elections[fr] 

According to the latest EU-wide survey commissioned by the European Parliament, 34% of voters said they are certain to cast their ballot in June, while 19% of respondents said they will definitely not vote. 

However, voting intentions remained stable in comparison to a similar survey published ahead of the last EU elections in 2004. The opinion poll, carried out among the then 15 EU member states in May 2004, produced exactly the same figures (34% and 19%). 

At that time, voting intentions ranged from a high of 82% of Greeks likely to vote to a low of 34% of Britons who said they would likely not do so. 

In this latest survey, the share of respondents who are most likely to go to the polls is highest in Belgium (70%), while UK citizens are again the least-interested in the EU elections, with 30% of citizens saying they will definitely not vote. 

Since the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979, voter turnout has steadily declined, setting alarm bells ringing about the widening gap between citizens and the EU institutions. In the last elections in 2004, just 45.5% of citizens cast their ballot, compared to 63% in 1979. 

The survey says previous research indicates that only people who say they will definitely or probably vote in the elections are likely to turn up at the polls. 

Concerned by the steady fall in turnout over the years, the Parliament last month unveiled an institutional campaign to raise awareness of the elections across all member states (EurActiv 18/03/09). 

In its eye-catching campaign, which focuses on policy options, the EU assembly hopes to raise interest in and knowledge of the EU elections. Meanwhile, political debate is also expected to heat up in the weeks leading up to the poll, attracting undecided citizens. 

According to the poll, the age group least likely to vote is students, with 27% said they will definitely not vote. In an attempt to tackle this problem, the European Commission and television channel MTV earlier this month launched an EU-wide campaign to encourage young people to vote (EurActiv 9/04/09).