But negative reputation

70 percent want to vote for EU Parliament according to survey

Voter turnout in the EU elections in June could be higher than five years ago. At least 70 percent of respondents in Austria said they were likely to vote, compared to 71 percent across the EU. The Eurobarometer survey was conducted on behalf of the EU Parliament.

There were no major differences in terms of age groups or political attitudes. In Germany, the future of Europe (37%), asylum and migration (36%) and climate change (35%) are seen as the most important issues in the election campaign. There are clear differences here in terms of age. For every second Austrian between the ages of 15 and 24, the fight against climate change is the most important issue, while asylum and migration is the number one issue for those aged 40 and over.

The EU Parliament in Strasbourg(Bild: APA/AFP/FREDERICK FLORIN)

36 percent have a positive view
Across Europe, the fight against poverty and social exclusion and public health were mentioned. The image of the EU among the Austrian population is rather negative. Only 36 percent of respondents said they had a very or fairly positive image, with one in four having a negative image. Only in the Czech Republic is the image worse than in Austria. In contrast, people in Portugal, Ireland and Sweden have a particularly good impression of the European Union.

Voter turnout recently stood at 60 percent
However, Austrians do not necessarily have a more positive view of other parts of the world such as Russia and China. However, 43% still have a positive view of the USA. 

26,500 people across the EU took part in the survey, including just under 1,000 from Austria. In the last EU election in 2019, around 60% of eligible voters in this country went to the polls. At that time, around one in two people (52%) stated in the survey that they were likely to vote.