EU elections, Socialists attract low online interest, new search data shows

Google search data suggests reduced interest in June’s EU elections compared to 2019, with the centre-right EPP group much more frequently searched for than its main centre-left rivals.

More than 90% of Europeans turn to Google when searching for information, which has enabled the US company to compile a comprehensive overview of public interest – across all languages and different terms – in the EU elections on 6-9 June.

The search data turned up some bad news for the centre-left Party of European Socialists and their lead candidate Nicolas Schmit. 

While the Socialists are currently the second-biggest party in the European Parliament, few people seem to care for extra information on the party: just 10% of queries in the last 12 months were directed towards PES, while more than 50% of queries focused on their rival, the centre-right European People’s Party. 

In recent weeks, increased interest in other parties has resulted in the EPP claiming just 42% of search results, while the centre-left remained steadily low at 10%. 

Instead, the pan-European and federalist party Volt has garnered significant attention from the public, being the subject of 50% of searches in the first week of May, although currently only a handful of lawmakers are projected to be elected.

Even in the centre-left’s heartland, Germany, with a Social Democrat chancellor, Olaf Scholz, centre-left PES searches account for just 13% of the total searches for EU parties. 

This bears out on other parts of the internet too.

Launched in February, Schmit’s campaign account on social platform X has accumulated a meagre 2,400 followers. The EPP’s Ursula von der Leyen has gathered 50% more than him in the past 2 months despite not even running as a lawmaker.

Globally competitive?

Meanwhile, according to Google, the European election has become the currently second-most searched vote on the planet, beaten only by the most populous country in the world, India – where citizens have been going to the polls since 19 April.

But compared to 2019, when the EU elections saw a record turnout, search interest is comparatively lower this time. 

Around 30% fewer people searched for the EU election between January and May 2024, Google data suggests.

While searches for postal voting are up 20% compared to five years ago, the total volume of “general voting searches” is down 40% relative to last time, Google found.

Still, it remains to be seen if the reduced search interest will translate in a lower turnout.

A French story

France, where the election campaign is in full swing, leads the search charts when it comes to individual lawmakers.

Of the five most searched lawmakers in the past seven days, four hail from France – and the fifth is Germany’s scandal-plagued far-right (ID) lawmaker Maximilian Krah.

Most searched was Manon Aubry, the far-left GUE/NGL lawmaker, whose party made the made its opposition to the war in Gaza a central theme in its campaign, and who softened her stance against the NATO military alliance. The party is however stagnating, according to Europe Elect’s projections.

She is followed by centre-left S&D lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann – French President Emmanuel Macron’s main challenger after the far-right Rassemblement National last seen when he was booed out of a 1 May gathering in Saint-Etienne.

Aubry and Glucksmann run on two different lists, as their coalition in France is on the brink of collapse.

Palestinian activist Rima Hassan comes in third and far-right (ID) firebrand Jordan Bardella – pegged to eventually succeed Marine Le Pen as leader of Le Rassemblement national – number four.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic / Aurélie Pugnet]

Read more with Euractiv