One in three Portuguese won’t vote in EU elections

5 months ago 21

A survey has found that around a third of Portuguese voters do not intend to vote in the European elections, citing a lack of available information about the various electoral programmes.

The survey, which European consumer protection organisation Euroconsumers carried out, interviewed 1,003 potential Portuguese voters – on top of the likely voters also interviewed in Belgium, Spain and Italy – between 18 and 21 March.

In Portugal, a majority -or 56%- of voters believe they are still poorly informed about the electoral programmes of the political groups sitting in the European Parliament.

On top of that, around a third of those surveyed do not intend to vote and justify the lack of available information as one of the main reasons, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Portuguese consumer watchdog DECO PROteste, which is part of this European organisation.

“The decision on which party to vote for is taken based on information on electoral programmes (41%) or following the political colour they support at the national level,” the survey carried out in the context of the EU elections set to take place across EU member states between 6 and 9 June reads.

The survey also found that only 24% of Portuguese say they are well-informed about the EU’s role and how it works, while 19% lack knowledge about the EU.

“The most striking doubts relate to how the number of MEPs is determined and how they are elected, the rotation between countries of the presidency of the European Council and the way directives are approved,” Euroconsumers writes.

Of the four countries surveyed, Portugal has the most positive view of the EU’s performance over the last five years (39% in Portugal compared to 26% on average in the four countries surveyed).

In particular, the organisation added that those surveyed praised the EU’s actions during the pandemic, which 68 % of Portuguese respondents consider positive.

“On average across the four countries, when asked about this specific issue, only 26% of respondents give a positive assessment of the EU’s overall activity over the last five years, while 34% give it a negative assessment,” it added.

Among the most criticised aspects of EU action in Portugal are inflation and the cost of living (73% negative in Portugal compared to 65% on average in the four countries), immigration (52%; 63%), the Israel/Palestine war (45%; 53%) and the war in Ukraine (36%; 45%).

In Portugal, where confidence in the EU is low, the biggest concerns for the future are inflation and the rising cost of living (71%, compared to 64% on average in the four countries), the war in Ukraine (60%; 47%), a possible new world war (56%; 45%), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (51%; 40%) and climate change (49%; 45%), the European consumer organisation stresses in its press release.

The survey also shows that when it comes to EU action, the Portuguese consider it very important to have EU rules to protect minors on social media networks (80%), as well as stricter cybersecurity measures to protect internet-connected devices (76%).

“The Portuguese recognise the EU’s action on issues such as social networks, the abolition of roaming charges and the implementation of lower limits on CO2 emissions from cars. However, they feel that there is little information,” adds Euroconsumers.

In Portugal, 83% believe that the EU should always consider the impact of its measures on future generations, compared to 80% in the four countries analysed.

(Diogo Caldas| Lusa.pt)