Health and cost of living most important to voters

HEALTH and the cost of living have been identified as the two greatest issues of concern for voters in the East constituency ahead of June’s European elections.

Twenty per cent of respondents in the Irish Examiner/Prime Time poll cited health as their biggest concern, while 19% cited the cost of living.

This was similar to previous polls of the North West and South constituencies, where health and cost of living also topped the list.

Other concerns for European voters in the East constituency were crime (13%), education and schooling (8%), the drugs problem (8%) and the economy (6%).

What is noticeable about the findings is that most of the major issues are ones which only local or national representatives can address, and not matters which MEPs can directly influence. Similar to the previous polls, the findings suggest a lack of knowledge among voters as to the role the representatives they elect actually play in the European Parliament.

The only issue at the centre of Europe’s workings in any way widely mentioned was agricultural reform, which was the major concern for 5.1% of voters.

Issues such as the EU constitution and enlargement hardly featured.

Surprisingly, however, just 4% of the respondents cited housing as their biggest concern.

By contrast, virtually all the political parties believed they would have to put housing to the forefront of their campaign manifestos.