The most common reason for Czechs to take part in the June elections to the European Parliament (EP) is to express their opinion of the current Czech government, followed by the desire to influence the course and content of EU policy, according to the results of an Ipsos agency poll for CTK Connect.
The poll conducted in April found that 82% of respondents knew the European elections would be held in June, 57% were interested in them, and about one-third might vote.
38% said they will definitely take part in the European elections, and a further 30% said they probably will. 8% said they will definitely not vote, and 14% are unlikely to do so.
Men, people older than 65, and residents of Prague were more likely to say they will participate in the elections. In 2019, the turnout in the Czech Republic for the European elections was just under 29%. The pollsters expect turnout to be 3 percentage points higher this year.
37% of those who intend to cast their votes in the EP elections said they would do so in order to express their stance on the current Czech government. About one-third said they would vote to influence EU policy direction and content, and three out of ten will vote according to particular issues, such as climate change, migration or the economy. About one in four want their opinions and interests to be represented at the European level, and a similar number said they want to support the democratic system.
According to the poll, two-thirds of Czechs who are interested in the EP elections believe that this election is more important than previous ones, mainly because of the push for a new direction for the EU and because of the deteriorating political situation in the world. Security is currently the most important thing that Czechs say the EU should guarantee to its member states, the poll found.
Nearly half of the respondents (47%) said they decide who to vote for based on the trustworthiness of the candidates, while more than one third make their decision based on concrete issues they consider important. A quarter said they decide based on the results of the party or candidate. 22% said they always vote for the same party or coalition.
Half of Czechs said candidates should have experience working in the European Parliament, and the other half do not consider this important.
The Ipsos agency conducted the poll on 1,025 respondents aged over 18 via online panel Populace.cz from 15-20 April.
