According to figures released on Monday by the largest members of the European Union, voters’ main worries in the election were the economy, immigration, and international conflicts.
Preliminary results from Sunday night’s European Parliament election indicate victories for nationalist and euroskeptic parties. These parties campaigned on tighter immigration controls, alleviating citizens’ financial hardships, and abandoning environmental initiatives.
Voters gave the highest priority to improving the economy and lowering inflation when asked what factor most affected their vote. According to a survey conducted by polling platform Focaldata and shared with Reuters, these concerns topped the list.
A survey of 6,000 people from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Sweden was conducted. The respondents ranked international conflict and war as their second most important issue, following immigration and asylum seekers.
The poll was conducted on June 6, the day the EU Parliament election polls opened.
“Reducing inequality” came in fourth place on the list of concerns that influenced respondents’ votes, with climate change coming in fifth.
In the EU election, Europe’s Green parties faced significant losses. Preliminary figures indicated they would lose 18 seats, ending up with 53 EU lawmakers.
But in Sweden and Spain—the latter of which has seen years-long droughts made worse by climate change—climate change came in third.
Voters in France, Italy, and Poland reported that economic concerns were the primary factor affecting their vote, followed by immigration in France and war in Italy and Spain.
The top concerns of German respondents were immigration and asylum seekers, followed by wars and finally economic issues.
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