There are only a few days left until we Spaniards go to vote for the future of europe. The 2024 european elections are just around the corner, but we can still look back to recover the figures that the last ones returned to us in 2019. Like every year, the European Parliament produced a report to analyze the data returned to them by the Eurobarometer 2019, a survey that analyzes the behavior of European citizens when voting. Made by the Kantar company after the last European elections held from May 23 to 26, 2019some 27,464 citizens of the twenty-eight Member States were able to give their honest opinion about this electoral process and their conception of Europe in general areas.

The report examines in detail the profiles of those who went to vote, as well as the reasons that led them to do so. Analyzing the differences between countries of the European Union (EU) and sociodemographic groups and socioprofessionalsit is observed that The participation rate increased considerably thanks to one greater participation among young people. The causes that have the most weight in this increase in participation in the 2019 European elections are:

  • Greater participation among the youngest.
  • Greater roots in the feeling of citizen duty.
  • Growth of favorable opinions about the European Union.

On this last point, issues like the economy and growth were the ones that most aroused the interest of European citizens, as well as the Fight against him climate change and the environmental Protection. With these data, from the European Parliament They consider that this is a promising starting point for a greater increase in participation in the coming years.

In 2019 we live a 8% increase in participation rate European Union compared to 2014, the highest since the 1994 elections. In addition to Spain, 18 other member states noted an increase in participation. Along with Spain, Poland, Romania, Austria, Hungary and Germany stand out especially. Even Czechia and Slovakia, countries that typically have low participation rates, saw substantial increases. People under 25 years old reached an increase of +14 percentage points, being the most participatory of the young generation, while those aged between between 25 and 39 years old They also increased their participation by +12 percentage points.

Civic duty and favorable opinions about the EU

52% of the total voters went to the polling stations because they considered it a citizen duty, a trend that already picked up in 2014. Those who were in the habit of voting continued to do so and the trend continued among those who wanted to support the political party they feel closest to, also in Europe. Furthermore, experts observe an increase in the feeling that “Voting can make things change”in addition to hope towards the implementation of solutions for your everyday life that leave from the European Union.

In Spain there is a rise of European sentiment, a feeling of roots and support for the EU, something that the Spanish share with the Irish, Germans, Italians, British and Slovaks. More than 70% of all Europeans surveyed in 2019 were very satisfied with the holding of free and fair electionswhich help to respect the Fundamental rights Yet the freedom of expression. Thus, causes such as the promotion of human rightsthe democracythe work plan of the European Union for the future or the immigration grew considerably as weighty issues to encourage people to go to the polling stations. In contrast, Europeans seem not to be so satisfied with the fight against corruption or the growth of disinformation in the media.

The feeling of belonging to the European Union grows

Almost six out of ten Europeans view their State’s membership in the European Union favorably, a feeling that increased in 2014 and continued after the 2019 elections. The long-term trend is positive, say the Parliament, the European citizens believe that their country has obtained various benefits of being part of the EU for four main reasons:

  • Elderly cooperation between member states.
  • Increase of the security and maintenance of the peace.
  • Contributes to economic growth.
  • New opportunities arise job.

This trend is stronger among younger and older respondents. higher educational level. This year, almost two million young people join the electoral rollThroughout Europe, they will be able to vote for the first time and it is expected that they will maintain this positive feeling and the strength of the young vote, the vote of the EU Generation.

The impact of Brexit on the 2019 European elections

Especially hot in 2019, the Brexit made many Europeans focus on United Kingdom. Concerned about the situation that would lie ahead for Europe, from Spain we look at our English neighbors, who starred in numerous information issues alongside Europe, from the media to the streets of each neighborhood.

Almost a quarter of Europeans said that constant information about Brexit had a great influence on their voting intention and their final decision to go (or not) to vote. In the United Kingdom, specifically, just over half of those surveyed thought so. Overall, the 2019 Eurobarometer report suggests that media coverage of Brexit encouraged citizens to vote (rather than inviting their abstention).

Abstentionist Arguments. Why are there people who don’t vote?

The two main reasons for not voting in the last European elections were the lack of trust in politics or the discontent with politics in generalBesides the lack of interest by politics on the part of European citizens. Furthermore, many of the Europeans maintained the theory that a single vote has no consequences or nothing changes.

Then there were those who opted to never or almost never vote and those who were busy and did not go to vote due to lack of time. Same reasons and practically the same percentages as previous years: those who were convinced not to vote in this sense, remained firm. Not all of those who abstained did so out of conviction; many other reasons for abstention were given by the respondents in the highest percentage:

  • The feeling of hostility towards politics, due to dissatisfaction with the current panorama or mere lack of interest.
  • The lack of information regarding the election process in the European Union.
  • The belief that “voting is useless.”
  • Different technical reasons such as lack of time, illness or distance from the electoral college.

In contrast to the second point alluded to by many abstentionists surveyed, 44% of Europeans recalled having seen or heard messages encouraging the population to vote in the elections to the European Parliament. In this sense, the European Parliament acknowledges being happy with the results obtained at the information campaign level, which is why they hope to obtain better data this year with the call to the young vote.