The price crisis and the economic situation were the main factors that European voters took into account in the elections of June 9, in which the European Parliament suffered a strong rightward shift with the growth of the European People’s Party and ultra forces. According to a post-election Eurobarometer survey, rising prices were the main reason for voting (42%), followed by the economic situation (41%) and then the international context (34%) and the rule of law (32%). .
The climate emergency, security (which has been placed at the center of EU policies since the Russian invasion of Ukraine) and migration and asylum policies occupy fifth position at European level, with 28% of voters agreeing. They recognize that they were the main motivations for the vote. Far-right forces have placed immigration at the top of priorities, dragging the EU to harden its positions.
In Spain, the reasons for voting vary slightly with respect to the EU as a whole. The economic situation occupies the first position (46%), followed by inflation (35%). The welfare state is the third factor in the case of Spanish voters (32%). And then the rule of law (31%) and the international situation (29%).
In Spain, housing matters more than migration
The climate emergency, migration and security are, in the case of Spain, well below the European average. It was only a reason for voting for 14% of those surveyed, half that of the EU as a whole. On the contrary, issues such as unemployment (22% compared to 11%), housing (20% compared to 10%) and education (19% compared to 13%) are higher.
In the case of the climate emergency, the Eurobarometer shows that Spaniards believe they suffer less from the consequences than the rest of Europeans. Only 35% of Spaniards are exposed to extreme weather events (droughts, heat waves or strong storms), a figure that increases to 38% in the EU as a whole. Greeks (61%), Maltese (56%) and Hungarians and Slovenians (48%) express the greatest concern.
The average participation remained practically identical in the EU compared to 2024 (51%). Spain was one of the countries in which participation decreased the most (it remained at 46%), as well as in Lithuania and Greece. Belgium, where voting is mandatory for those registered, leads the ranking with 80%, followed by Luxembourg (82%) and Malta (73%). On the contrary, Croatia (21%) and Lithuania (28%) were the countries with the lowest participation.
Among the reasons abstentionists give for not going to vote, lack of confidence, interest or dissatisfaction with politics, as well as the feeling that voting is useless are the main ones. Regarding the party they chose, the majority recognizes that they always vote for the same one.
Source: www.eldiario.es
