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EU-VOTE-POLL
Barely four out of 10 Europeans know EU election date
BRUSSELS, April 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Fewer than 40 percent of Europeans
know that the European elections will be held in May, and only five percent
can give the exact dates, a survey showed Thursday.
According to the poll published by the European Parliament and Kantar
Public, 38 percent of Europeans (excluding Britain) knew in early March the
month of the May 23-26 elections.
The proportion went above 50 percent in only seven countries, including
Italy where eurosceptics led by deputy Prime minister Matteo Salvini hope to
ride to victory.
The poll however showed that a large majority of Europeans support EU
membership (61 percent on average in 27 countries, excluding the United
Kingdom), a level not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or the
adoption of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.
The survey was carried out between 19 February and 4 March in the 28 member
states, among 27,973 people over 15 years of age.
The main areas of concern for Europeans remain the economy, growth, the
fight against youth unemployment and immigration.
The survey said 44 percent believe that immigration should be a priority in
the campaign, compared to 50 percent in the previous poll in October.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1420 hrs