BRUSSELS — The majority of Europeans are not aware that European election is taking place next year, newly released polling data shows.
Asked when they thought the next EU election would take place, only 45 percent of Europeans were able to answer correctly that it will take place in 2024, according to the latest Eurobarometer poll released Tuesday.
European elections occur in the EU’s 27 member countries every five years; the dates of June 6 to 9, 2024, have been set for the next ballot. Results decide not only the composition of the European Parliament, but also key posts across other EU institutions, such as president of the European Commission.
During the official presentation of the survey’s results, European officials touted the figure as a success, as it is up 9 percentage points from 2018, a year ahead of the 2019 election.
For the upcoming vote, 56 percent of respondents said they were interested in the election — up 6 percentage points from five years ago — while 67 percent said they would likely vote if the election took place next week (up 9 percentage points).
Turnout at European elections is generally lower than in national votes.
In 2019, voter participation stood at 50.66 percent — 8 percentage points more than in 2014 and passing the 50 percent mark for the first time since 1994 (when the EU had only 12 members).
For the latest edition of the Eurobarometer survey, carried out twice a year at the request of EU institutions, 26,376 people were interviewed in March this year.