Less than 25% to vote in UK's EU elections

Less than a quarter of Britons say they will definitely vote in next month’s Euro elections, according to a new survey out today.

Apathy towards the EU is set to increase, with only 23% of the UK determined to take part in the poll.

That would be even worse than the 24% UK turnout at the last Euro elections in 1999 – at the time the lowest turnout across the EU.

But apathy is not restricted to the UK, according to the Eurobarometer survey conducted for the Brussels Commission in the 15 EU countries between February 20 and March 28 this year.

Across the EU as a whole only 34% said they would definitely vote – and only three countries, Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg, managed more than half saying they were certain to take part.

Most enthusiasm was in Greece, where 66% have a firm intention to vote for MEPs to sit in the European Parliament.

When the UK survey sample of about 1,400 people was asked for voting intentions, 34% said they were “likely” to vote, 27% said they “might” vote, but only 23% definitely would.

The lack of interest is borne out by the fact that only 52% in the UK believe the forthcoming elections to be “very important” – once again the lowest share in any member state.

And only 29% in the UK think EU membership is a “good thing” – although on a positive note, that is 1% more than in the last survey in the autumn of 2003.

Asked about the most important issues of the Euro elections, almost every country except the UK put unemployment at the top of the list – more important than tackling crime or problems with immigration.

But 62% of Britons said immigration was the key issue, with only 38% giving top priority to unemployment.