Electoral rights of EU citizens. Analytical Report

Transcription

1 Flash Eurobarometer 292 The Gallup Organization Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Flash Eurobarometer European Commission Electoral rights of EU citizens Analytical Report Fieldwork: March 2010 Publication: October 2010 This survey was requested by the former Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security (after an administrative reorganisation now DG Justice) and coordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM "Research and Speechwriting" Unit). This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors. page 1

2 Analytical Report Flash EB Series #292 Electoral rights of EU citizens Conducted by The Gallup Organization, Hungary upon the request of the former Directorate- General for Justice and Security (after an administrative reorganisation now DG Justice). Survey organised and managed by the Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM "Research and Speechwriting" Unit). This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors. THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION page 2

3 Analytical Report Table of contents Introduction... 4 Main findings Awareness of EU-citizens electoral rights... 7 Municipal elections... 8 EP elections... 9 National elections... 9 Regional elections Participating in national and regional elections a hypothetical extention of the electoral rights of non-national EU citizens Citizenship or residence as preferred determinant of electoral rights in EP Elections Means for improving political participation Non-nationals as candidates on EP elections Non-nationals as candidates on local elections tables Survey details Questionnaire page 3

4 Analytical Report Introduction The Treaty of Maastricht established the Citizenship of the Union in The foremost purpose of the institutionalisation of this new legal status was to strengthen and enhance European identity and to enable European citizens to participate more intensively in the Community integration process. The right of European citizenship is extended to every person who is a national of an EU Member State. European citizenship does not substitute but rather supplements the citizenship of each State. Those holding European citizenship are entitled to some fundamental rights within the EU, regardless of which State they are the citizens of. Electoral rights are part of these fundamental rights every citizen currently has the right to vote and stand as candidate in European and municipal elections in whichever member state they reside in. This Flash Eurobarometer survey on European Union citizenship (N o 292) commissioned by the European Commission asked citizens of the EU to clarify how familiar they were with their voting rights as EU citizens and about their opinion on possible directions for measures that may increase participation in European Parliament elections. The survey s fieldwork was carried out between 10 and 14 of March, Over 27,000 randomly selected citizens aged 15 years and over were interviewed in the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union. Interviews were predominantly carried out by telephone. However, due to the low fixed-line telephone coverage in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, face-to-face interviews were also conducted in these countries (700 telephone and 300 faceto-face interviews). Note: Flash Eurobarometer surveys systematically include mobile phones in samples in Austria, Finland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. To correct for sampling disparities, a post-stratification weighting of the results was implemented, based on key socio-demographic variables. More details on survey methodology are included in the of this report. Whenever possible, comparisons were made with a previous Flash Eurobarometer survey, Flash 213 (carried out in 2007), which included questions related to awareness of voting rights. page 4

5 Analytical Report Main findings Less than a year after the 2009 European Elections in June, the current Flash Eurobarometer study detected a remarkable shift in perceptions regarding electoral rights of EU citizens resident in other EU member states. In 2007, prior to the EP Elections, Flash Eurobarometer 213 found little awareness that non-nationals -provided that they are EU citizens- may vote in a member state where they live and of which they are not nationals. Only 37% could correctly identify that such persons are entitled to vote in municipal elections and 54% knew that electoral rights are also provided for EU elections. The landscape has changed completely for 2010: now the overwhelming majority (69%) are aware that non-national EU citizens may vote in municipal elections and 67% also correctly identify that electoral rights are provided in European Elections. However, while awareness has increased, it is not necessarily precise. The proportion of those who believe that EU citizens resident in another member state are also entitled to vote in national elections has increased, too. In each member state where this question was relevant, only a minority of citizens were able to correctly identify as false the proposition that resident nonnational EU citizens have the right to vote or to stand as candidate in regional elections. A hypothetical extension of the non-domestic electoral rights of EU citizens would include their ability to vote and to stand as candidates in national and regional elections elsewhere in the EU where they permanently reside. Citizens were rather ambivalent regarding these proposals. While the majority did support the idea of including permanent resident non-national EU citizens in the electoral lists on both levels, a very significant minority of EU voters did not favour these propositions. The margin was slimmer when it came to national elections: 50% in the EU favoured the extension the electoral rights to non-national EU citizens residing in the respondent s country, while 43% were opposed to it. Taking part in regional elections was favoured by 54% (where such elections are held) and opposed by 39%. Some questions in the survey addressed the ongoing problem of meagre citizen involvement in EU politics, specifically, the notoriously low turnout page 5

6 Analytical Report at EP elections. Citizens once again confirmed that a clearer vision of the EU s role in their lives (84%) and better information on programmes, candidates (83%) and the elections themselves (80%) could boost their motivation to vote. 61% also agreed that citizens would be more likely to participate if the elections were held on the same day throughout the union. Only a minority of those interviewed were optimistic that moving the Election Day from June to May could boost participation (31%). The proposition that more citizens would be tempted to vote if party lists included non-national EU citizens as candidates running for an MEP position was dismissed only by a slim margin. 47% of those interviewed felt that nonnationals appearing on the lists would not attract more voters (to participate or to vote for the given party), while 42% felt that this may be possible. Such multi-nationalisation of party lists was considered less attractive for local elections (with only 31% anticipating that this could attract voters.) page 6

7 Analytical Report 1. Awareness of EU-citizens electoral rights A significant swing in opinions since 2007 towards awareness of inclusive electoral rights in member states resulted in a much higher awareness of the existing electoral rights in municipal elections. It also led to a misperception that EU citizens may vote or stand as candidate in national elections. Less than a year after the 2009 European Elections in June, the current Flash Eurobarometer study detected a remarkable shift in perceptions regarding electoral rights of EU citizens resident in other EU member states. In 2007, prior to the elections, Flash Eurobarometer found little awareness that non-nationals - provided that they are EU citizens- may vote in a member state of which they are not nationals. Only 37% could correctly identify that such persons are entitled to vote in municipal elections and 54% knew that electoral rights are also provided for EU elections. On the other hand, 60% were aware that such rights are not provided when it comes to national elections. The landscape has changed completely for 2010: now the overwhelming majority (69%) are aware that non-national EU citizens may vote in municipal elections and 67% also correctly identify that electoral rights are provided in European Elections. Awareness of electoral rights that a citizen of the EU has, Yes, has this right No, does not have this right DK/NA True False DK/NA 11/ /2010 A citizen of the European Union from another Member State, living in [COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in municipal elections here A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections A citizen of the European Union from another Member State, living in [COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in European Parliament elections here A citizen of the European Union from another Member State, living in [COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in elections to national Parliaments here A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in European Parliament elections A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in elections to national Parliaments Q1(2010). For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: Q4(2007). In fact, all citizens of the EU Member States are citizens of the European Union. In your opinion, what rights does a citizen of the European Union have? Base: all respondents, % EU27 However, while awareness has increased, it is not necessarily precise. The proportion of those who believe that EU citizens resident in another member state are also entitled to vote in national elections has increased, too. Almost half (48%) of those interviewed thought this was the case. 1 page 7

8 NL MT BE ES IE LU CY DE SI UK FR LV SK EU27 SE EL DK FI RO EE AT PT CZ IT PL LT HU BG Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Municipal elections The awareness of electoral rights in municipal elections has increased dramatically in each member state. In 2007, there was only one country in the EU where more than half of the citizens could correctly identify such a right; now the majority in each member state are aware of this right. Even in Bulgaria, where the improvement was smallest, the percentage of those who now correctly believe that a non-national EU citizen may run for office or vote in local elections is 10 percentage points higher than the 2007 figure. On average, the proportion of those aware of such a right has almost doubled at the EU level (2007: 37%, 2010: 69%). Extreme levels of increase were detected in a great number of member states (see chart below), i.e. +51 percentage points in the Netherlands, where citizens were aware in highest proportion 83% -- that such a right existed. A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in municipal elections - True 100 Awareness of electoral rights that a citizen of the EU has, / / Q1(2010). For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: Q4(2007). In fact, all citizens of the EU Member States are citizens of the European Union. In your opinion, what rights does a citizen of the European Union have? Base: all respondents, % by country Correct answers shown There is little variation in awareness according to socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. However, the youngest citizens (75%), especially those still in school (76%) were most likely to correctly identify non-national EU citizens electoral rights on municipal elections. page 8

9 DK AT FR SE HU FI LU IT EL DE CZ EU27 EE PT ES PL LT CY SI UK NL LV BG RO BE SK IE MT IE ES LV RO NL CY SI EE BE UK LU MT IT DE EU27 PT FI FR SK EL SE AT DK LT BG CZ HU PL Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report EP elections 100 Awareness of EU citizens electoral rights A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in European Parliament elections - True 11/ / Q1(2010). For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: Q4(2007). In fact, all citizens of the EU Member States are citizens of the European Union. In your opinion, what rights does a citizen of the European Union have? Base: all respondents, % by country Correct answers shown The awareness of the right to vote and to stand as candidate in European Elections has also increased significantly across the EU. In the current study, 79% of Irish, 76% of Spanish and 75% of Latvian citizens were aware of this right, topping the list of all member states. These results represent a percentage point change of +18, +10 and +33, respectively. Awareness only decreased in Poland (-5), where awareness of non-national EU citizens right to take part in EU Elections in their country of residence is the lowest (48%) of all member states. Everywhere else, at least 6 in 10 citizens are able to identify this right. Table 4b shows that while there is very little variation across sociodemographic segments, most aware of this right are those with higher degree level education (those who left full time education beyond age 20: 72%) and least aware are manual workers (62%). National elections Awareness of EU citizens electoral rights, A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in elections to national Parliaments - False / / Q1(2010). For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: Q4(2007). In fact, all citizens of the EU Member States are citizens of the European Union. In your opinion, what rights does a citizen of the European Union have? Base: all respondents, % by country Correct answers shown page 9

10 AT FR IT SE DK DE CZ PL ES UK NL SK BE Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report The swing towards a higher awareness of electoral rights granted to non-national EU citizens in other member states affected the perception of electoral rights in national elections of EU citizens who are only residents in another member state. In each member state, the proportion of those who correctly identified that such rights are currently not provided has decreased remarkably since 2007 (i.e. -34 percentage points in Slovenia, -37 in Slovakia the least in Luxembourg, -6). Currently, Danish (58%), Austrian (57%) and French (55%) citizens are most likely to state that taking part in national elections is not a right of an EU citizen residing in another member state. On the other hand, less than 3 in 10 in Malta (24%), Ireland (26%), Slovakia (27%) and Belgium (29%) identified correctly that this statement was false. Regional elections In several EU member states regional elections are held separately from national and municipal elections 2. In these countries the survey asked whether or not respondents believe that non-national EU citizens (who are local residents) have the right to vote or stand as candidate in these regional elections. Overall in the countries concerned, 59% thought that a citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections. On average, 34% said this statement was false. In each member state where this question was relevant, only a minority of citizens were able to correctly identify as false the proposition that resident non-national EU citizens have the right to vote or to stand as candidate in regional elections. Only about a quarter in Belgium (23%), Slovakia (24%), the Netherlands (25%) and in the UK (25%) knew that nonnational EU citizens do not have electoral Awareness of electoral rights that a citizen of the EU has A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY], has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections - False Q1. For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: Base: all respondents, % by country Correct answers shown rights in regional elections. Even in Austria, where most citizens could identify this proposition as false, less than 50% of those interviewed could do so (49%). (This items has not been asked before, thus trends are not available.) The big picture (that many more citizens believe that electoral rights are provided in regional elections than the opposite) does not vary across socio-demographic segments: about 3 to 4 in 10 people in each group analysed could correctly tell that this right is not currently provided a higher percentage among those with higher degree level education (40%) and a lower percentage in the youngest cohort (30%). ( Table 2b) 2 The question is relevant for Austria (Länder), Belgium (Région), the Czech Republic (Kraje), Denmark (Amtskommuner), Germany (Länder), Spain (Comunidades autonómas), France (Région), Italy (2 autnomous provinces and 20 regions), The Netherlands (provinciale staten), Poland (województwo), Slovakia (Kraje), Sweden (Landstingsfullmäktige), the United Kingdom. The other Member States do not organise regional elections. page 10

11 Analytical Report 2. Participating in national and regional elections a hypothetical extension of the electoral rights of non-national EU citizens EU citizens and countries are highly divided on whether or not to award electoral rights to non-national EU citizens in national elections The questionnaire presented the idea of a hypothetical extension of the non-domestic electoral rights of EU citizens that would include their ability to vote and to stand as candidates in national and regional elections elsewhere in the EU where they permanently reside. In the current state of the EU law, it is up to member states to award electoral rights to such individuals, and in practice such rights are not currently provided in the member states. Citizens were rather ambivalent regarding these proposals. The majority did support the idea of including permanent resident non-national EU citizens in the electoral lists on both levels, but a very significant minority of EU voters did not favour the proposition. The margin was slimmer when it came to national elections: 50% in the EU favoured the extension the electoral rights to non-national EU citizens residing in the respondent s country, while 43% were opposed to it. Taking part in regional elections was favoured by 54% and opposed by 39%. On both questions, 7% had no opinion. Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in... national elections? 7 regional elections? 7 Yes No DK/NA Q2//Q3. Let s take a situation where a citizen of the EU lives in another Member State than his/her Member State of origin (i.e. of which he/she is a national). Should this citizen have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in REGIONAL//NATIONAL elections organised in the Member State where he/she lives in case regional//national elections are held there? Base: all respondents, % EU27 Member states results are far from univocal: in several member states a convincing majority supported fully allowing EU citizen to partake in national elections. This proposition was the most popular in Ireland (68% in favour vs. only 27% against), Spain (62% vs. 35%), Malta (58% vs. 32%), the UK (58% vs. 35%), Romania (57% vs. 29%) and Luxembourg (57% vs. 40%). On the other hand, a clear majority in a number of member states especially in Scandinavia dismissed the idea of including foreign EU citizens in electoral lists for national elections: many more Danes (62% disagreed versus 32% agreed), Finns (55% vs. 41%), Swedes (54% versus 41%) opposed than supported the idea. The opinions are similar in some of the Eastern member states, for example in Hungary (54% vs. 35%), the Czech Republic (52% vs. 41%) and Estonia (51% vs. 35%). page 11

12 IE ES UK MT LU RO NL EL EU27 PT IT SI DE PL AT CY BE FR FI CZ SE SK BG LT LV HU EE DK Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in national elections? Yes No DK/NA Q3. Let s stay with the same situation where a citizen of the EU lives in another Member State than his/her Member State of origin (i.e. of which he/she is a national). Should this citizen have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in NATIONAL elections organised in the Member State where he/she lives? Base: all respondents, % by country In some of the largest member states the public was highly split on this proposition: in Germany and Italy a nominal majority supported the idea, while a marginal minority were opposed in France. Variations are much more pronounced across countries than across socio-demographic groups (see Table 6b): various segments of society are as divided as is the average on this proposal. However, none of the groups formulated a majority negative opinion, even those who are less supportive are at least equally split on this issue: those aged 55+ (46% supported vs. 46% opposed), the self employed (48% vs. 46%), and metropolitan Europeans (48% vs. 46%). Results vary somewhat, but the bottom line remains unchanged: European Union member states are very diverse when it comes to allowing citizens of other EU member states to run or vote in regional elections (note that most member states do not hold such elections, but their citizens may be subjects of such entitlement in other member states). However, compared to national elections, fewer countries were outright opposed to the idea of including non-national EU citizens: the opponents outnumbered the supporters significantly in only five countries, while we found a similarly negative climate of opinion regarding electoral rights in national elections in 10 member states. page 12

13 IE LU ES EL MT FR CY UK PT NL FI RO EU27 BE SE DE SI IT AT PL LV SK EE CZ HU DK BG LT Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in regional elections? Yes No DK/NA Q2. Let s take a situation where a citizen of the EU lives in another Member State than his/her Member State of origin (i.e. of which he/she is a national). Should this citizen have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in REGIONAL elections organised in the Member State where he/she lives in case regional elections are held there? Base: all respondents, % by country A majority of citizens in Ireland (68% were in favour), Luxembourg (66%), Spain (65%), Greece (60%) and Malta (60%) would not mind extending electoral rights to regional elections of these countries regional elections are only held in Spain. On the other hand, several countries that also do not feature regional elections are very much opposed to the idea of including non-national EU citizens: Lithuania (36% agree), Bulgaria (39%), Hungary and Estonia (both 42%). Countries where regional elections are part of the political setup and the majority oppose the inclusion of non-national EU citizens were Denmark (40% for vs. 53% against) and the Czech Republic (42% for and 51% against.) As opposed to the divided standpoints on the member state level, each of the majority socio demographic segments was in favour of extending electoral right at regional elections to include nonnational EU citizens who are local residents. The only groups where only a relative majority agreed were those aged 55 or older; 49% in this group were in favour and 43% opposed. In each of the other segments a clear majority supported the extension of the electoral rights as proposed in the question. ( Table 5b.) page 13

14 Analytical Report 3. Citizenship or residence as preferred determinant of electoral rights in EP Elections Since double vote is prohibited in EP elections, those EU citizens who reside in another Member State can either vote in their home Member State (of which they are the nationals) either in the Member State where they reside (without being nationals of that State). Voting in both Member States at the same European elections is not allowed. Preferred candidates to vote for in European elections The candidates of your Member State of residence The candidates of your Member State of origin Citizens were extremely divided on candidates or lists they preferred to vote for if they lived in another Member State in the European elections. About as many (44%) said they preferred to vote on the list of the country where they resided 46 DK/NA Q4. If you lived in another Member State than your Member State of origin (i.e. of which you are a national) would you rather vote in European elections for... Base: all respondents, % EU27 (provided that they reside outside of their country) as indicated that they still preferred to exercise their right to vote in their home country (46%), the latter being marginally more popular on the EU level. In some demographic groups, the place of residence took precedence over the nationality, i.e. among those in active age groups (25-39: 50% prefer to vote in place of residence vs. 39% who opt to vote in their home country, or those aged 40-54: 46% vs. 42% respectively) as well as among white collar employees (50% vs. 39%). Those with higher degree level education are also more likely to indicate that they would prefer to vote in their country of residence (47% vs. 40%). On the other hand, manual workers (42% vs. 48%), non-metropolitan residents (43-44% vs. 46%) and especially the elderly (36% vs. 53%) wanted to vote according to their nationality even if they reside elsewhere. (see Table 7b.) page 14

15 ES FR LU DE UK NL CZ IT IE MT EL EU27 HU SK SE BE AT FI LV RO SI EE PT DK CY BG PL LT Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Generally speaking, the preference to vote according to the place of residence is more attractive for citizens in some of the pre-2004 member states (i.e. Spain: 52%, France: 50%, Luxembourg: 49% or Germany: 48% -- in each country a decisive majority supports residence-based electoral participation), while most countries where the majority prefers voting in their home country are member states that joined the EU in 2004 or later (most notably Latvia, Poland and Bulgaria where less than a quarter of citizens would prefer voting locally if they lived abroad). Preferred candidates to vote for in European elections The candidates of your Member State of residence The candidates of your Member State of origin DK/NA Q4. If you lived in another Member State than your Member State of origin (i.e. of which you are a national) would you rather vote in European elections for... Base: all respondents, % by country page 15

16 Analytical Report 4. Means for improving political participation Most citizens claim that improved information (on the EU, the election and the participants) could boost participation rates in EP elections Some questions in the survey addressed the ongoing problem of low turnout at EP elections 3. Citizens once again confirmed that a clearer vision of the EU s role in their lives (84%) and better information on programmes, candidates (83%) and the elections themselves (80%) could boost their motivation to vote. 61% also agreed that they would be more likely to participate if the elections were held on the same day throughout the union. Only a minority of those interviewed were optimistic that moving the Election Day from June to May could boost participation (31%). In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Yes No DK/NA more information was provided on the impact of the European Union on your daily life more information was provided on the programmes and objectives of candidates and parties in the European Parliament more information was provided on the European Parliament elections the elections were held on a same day across the European Union the polling date was switched from June to May Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % EU27 However, such evaluations should not be treated at face value: the different social desirability of the responses may distort the way citizens answer questions. Increased efforts to provide information may not in fact result automatically in a higher turnout rate. Across the EU, citizens agree that more information on how the EU impacts the daily lives of citizens would improve willingness to vote in European Elections. Most in agreement were those from Ireland (90%), Sweden (89%), France (88%), Italy and Denmark (87% both), while least optimistic about the possible mobilising effects of increased information were respondents in the Czech Republic (where 72% believed that improved information would result in higher turnout), Slovakia (73%), Romania and Slovenia (79%). Evidently, the agreement across member states is generally high in this regard, and the various socio-demographic groups show even smaller variance in their agreement levels, which ranges between 78% (among those who left school before the age of 16) and 89% (among the best educated). 3 page 16

17 IE IT FR ES SE PT UK NL LU EU27 BG DK CY EL FI LV PL DE LT HU AT MT SI BE EE RO CZ SK IE SE FR IT DK ES PT BG UK NL CY EU27 MT FI EE EL HU LV LT DE LU PL BE AT RO SI SK CZ Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the impact of the European Union on your daily life Yes No DK/NA Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % by country Similarly, more effective campaigns conveying more or better information on candidates and programmes were widely considered as effective tools for boosting participation: 89% of Irish and Italian- 87% of French and 86% of Spanish citizens agreed on this. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the programmes and objectives of candidates and parties in the European Parliament Yes No DK/NA Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % by country On the other hand, the disagreement peaked at 26% (in the Czech Republic) signalling an almost equally high and univocal agreement as was detected in response to the proposition previously discussed. The same result emerges from the socio-demographic analyses as well: the highest level of disagreement, 17% (recorded among manual workers and those with the lowest level of education) is a clear sign that all citizens believe there would be a higher turnout if campaigns were more informative. 88% of Italians, 86% of Irish, 85% of the Spanish and 83% of the Portuguese and UK citizens confirmed that better information about the EP elections would have resulted in a higher turnout. Again, an overwhelming majority in each member state agreed. Even in the Czech Republic, where optimism the lowest in relative terms, more than twice as many citizens (66%) felt that better information in this regard would have resulted in a higher turnout than those with an opposite opinion (30%). Consequently, the agreement patterns were very similar across socio-demographic groups with levels of disagreement ranging between 10% and 19% ( Table 10b). page 17

18 IE UK FR LU BE IT PT ES SE FI EL EU27 NL LT DK CY DE SI AT BG LV PL MT RO EE SK CZ HU IT IE ES PT UK FR SE LT LV EU27 CY NL LU BG MT EL DK DE PL FI EE SI RO AT HU BE SK CZ Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the European Parliament elections Yes No DK/NA Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % by country The range of opinions was wider when it came to voting on the same day. EP elections were held mostly on Sunday, the 7 th of June in 2009, however some member states (complying with the local voting traditions) held the vote a week earlier 4. Those in Ireland (who voted on Friday) and the UK (who voted on Thursday) were most likely to believe that voting on the same day (either others voting on the same day, or them voting on the 7 th of June) could have resulted in a higher rate of participation (78% and 73%, respectively). Some member states that voted on the 7 th were also more likely than the average to say that a uniform date could have increased the willingness to vote (France: 71%, Luxembourg: 70%). In future European elections turnout would be higher if the elections were held on a same day across the European Union Yes No DK/NA Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % by country Interestingly, even Italians --for whom voting on the same day (provided that the rest of Europe does not adopt their system) would mean losing one of the two days they were able to cast their ballots-- confirmed this proposition in very high numbers (68%). On the other hand, Czech and Slovak respondents (who also voted prior to Sunday) were among those least likely to anticipate a higher turnout from a uniform date (42% and 45% respectively). Of all countries considered, Hungarians were the least optimistic that further uniformisation of the election date could boost voter participation (32% confirmed, 56% disagreed). Nevertheless, considering the EU average, socio-demographic 4 Thursday 4 June: United Kingdom, Netherlands, Friday 5 June: Ireland, Czech Republic (day 1) Saturday 6 June: Cyprus, France, Italy (day 1), Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Czech Republic (day 2) Sunday 7 June: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy (day 2), Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden page 18

19 FI PT EL SE BE SI IE ES IT NL EE BG LV FR LU EU27 CY LT CZ PL AT DK UK SK DE HU RO MT Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report analyses point to the same conclusion in each group investigated: the majority felt that a further standardisation of the election date could make participation rates higher (see Table 13b.) The idea of moving the EP elections to May from June to boost participation was confirmed by the majority only in Finland, where 52% of respondents felt that such a move may increase the turnout in their country which had been in the 30-40% range in the past three EP elections (40.3% in 2009). In none of the other member states was the majority optimistic that such a strategy could indeed improve participation. The proportion of those who agreed ranged from 44% in Portugal to 17% in Malta. As Table 9b shows, the absolute majority in each socio-demographic segment claimed that such a change would not encourage more people to take part in EP Elections. In future European elections turnout would be higher if the polling date was switched from June to May Yes No DK/NA Q6. In future European elections turnout would be higher if... Base: all respondents, % by country page 19

20 IE LU PT UK ES FR EL EU27 IT CY NL LV SK SI PL BE DE SE LT AT MT BG RO CZ FI EE HU DK Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Non-nationals as candidates in EP elections The proposition that more citizens would be tempted to vote if party lists included non-national EU citizens as candidates running for an MEP position was dismissed only by a slim margin. 47% of those interviewed felt that non-nationals appearing on the lists would not attract more voters (to participate or to vote for the given party), while 42% felt that this may be possible. 11% did not provide a clear answer to this question. Those in the youngest cohort (15-24: 55% -- as well as those still in education: 56%) were the only segments where the majority felt that such multi-national party lists may be attractive, in every other socio-demographic group those who disagreed were the (relative) majority, see Table 8b. Once again, it was the Irish who were most in agreement that such lists may boost participation (64%), followed by Luxembourgish (57%), Portuguese (52%), British (52%), Spanish (51%) and French (50%) respondents. In all other member states those who felt that lists that A list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? included non-nationals may be attractive to voters were in the minority, most so in Denmark (24%), Hungary (27%) and Estonia (28%). A list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? Yes No DK/NA Q5. Do you think that a list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? Base: all respondents, % EU Yes No DK/NA Q5. Do you think that a list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? Base: all respondents, % by country page 20

21 IE LU PT ES UK FR EL SK EU27 CY LT MT LV IT DE CZ BE EE PL RO NL SE AT BG FI SI HU DK Flash EB No 292 Electoral Rights Analytical Report Non-nationals as candidates on local elections In a question similar to the one above but on local elections whether or not the inclusion of nonnationals on party lists would attract voters the vast majority across the EU (except for three member states) did not think that multi-nationalisation of local election voting lists (where lists are used) would attract voters. On the EU27 level, only 31% felt that including non-national EU citizen candidates on local party lists could be attractive to voters, and 63% said the contrary. 7% had no opinion. Table 15b shows that the socio-demographic analyses could not identify any traditional segment where the proposition would have been accepted, the level of disagreement ranged from 54% (15-24 years of age) to 67% (those above 55). The three member states where the (relative) majority said that the enrolment of non-national candidates in local election lists would attract voters were Ireland (54%), Luxembourg (51%) and Portugal (45% versus 42% who felt the contrary). On the other hand, this A list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? proposition was confirmed only by a quarter or less in ten member states, with extreme lows recorded in Denmark, Hungary (both 18%) and Slovenia (19%) Yes No DK/NA Q7. Do you think that a list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? Base: all respondents, % EU27 A list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? Yes No DK/NA Q7. Do you think that a list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? Base: all respondents, % by country page 21

22 Flash EB Series #292 Electoral rights of the EU citizens Tables and Survey Details THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION page 22

23 5. tables Table 1a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections by country Table 1b. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections by segment Table 2a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections by country Table 2b. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections by segment Table 3a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in elections to national Parliaments by country Table 3b. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in elections to national Parliaments by segment Table 4a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in European Parliament elections by country Table 4b. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in European Parliament elections by segment Table 5a. Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in regional elections? by country Table 5b. Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in regional elections? by segment Table 6a. Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in national elections? by country Table 6b. Should EU citizens living in another Member State have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in national elections? by segment Table 7a. Preferred candidates to vote for in European elections by country Table 7b. Preferred candidates to vote for in European elections by segment Table 8a. A list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? by country Table 8b. A list in the European elections can attract more voters if it includes candidates who are nationals of other Member States? by segment Table 9a. In future European elections turnout would be higher if the polling date was switched from June to May by country Table 9b. In future European elections turnout would be higher if the polling date was switched from June to May by segment Table 10a. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the European Parliament elections by country Table 10b. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the European Parliament elections by segment page 23

24 Table 11a. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the programmes and objectives of candidates and parties in the European Parliament by country Table 11b. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the programmes and objectives of candidates and parties in the European Parliament by segment Table 12a. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the impact of the European Union on your daily life by country Table 12b. In future European elections turnout would be higher if more information was provided on the impact of the European Union on your daily life by segment Table 13a. In future European elections turnout would be higher if the elections were held on a same day across the European Union by country Table 13b. In future European elections turnout would be higher if the elections were held on a same day across the European Union by segment Table 14a. In future European elections turnout would be higher : other by country Table 14b. In future European elections turnout would be higher : other by segment Table 15a. A list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? by country Table 15b. A list in local elections can attract more voters if it included candidates who are the nationals of other Member States? by segment page 24

25 Table 1a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections by country QUESTION: Q1_A. For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: - A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections Total N % True % False % DK/NA EU COUNTRY Belgium Bulgaria Czech Rep Denmark Germany Estonia Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Cyprus Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Hungary Malta Netherlands Austria Poland Portugal Romania Slovenia Slovakia Finland Sweden United Kingdom page 25

26 Table 1b. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections by segment QUESTION: Q1_A. For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: - A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in municipial elections Total N % True % False % DK/NA EU SEX Male Female AGE EDUCATION (end of) Until 15 years of age Still in education URBANISATION Metropolitan Urban Rural OCCUPATION Self-employed Employee Manual worker Not working page 26

27 Table 2a. EU citizens rights: To vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections by country QUESTION: Q1_B. For each of the satements which I am going to read out, please tell me if this is true or false: - A citizen of the EU living in [OUR COUNTRY] has the right to vote or to stand as a candidate in regional elections This question was asked only in AT, BE, CZ, DK, DE, ES, FR, IT, NL, PL, SK, SE and UK Total N % True % False % DK/NA EU COUNTRY Belgium Bulgaria Czech Rep Denmark Germany Estonia Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Cyprus Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Hungary Malta Netherlands Austria Poland Portugal Romania Slovenia Slovakia Finland Sweden United Kingdom page 27