Fresh poll suggests rising Finnish voter turnout in European elections

Centre Party supporters and farmers increasingly likely to vote

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The percentage of Finns saying that they are sure to vote in the European Parliament elections next month has increased somewhat since early May.
      According to a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat, 37% of Finns say that they will definitely vote in the elections on June 13. At the beginning of June, barely 35% said that they were sure to vote.
      The proportion of those who are sure to vote and likely to vote is higher now than at the beginning of the month, and the share of those who felt that they are unlikely to vote has decreased.
      There was no change in the number of those who definitely do not plan to cast ballots in the election.
     
The survey indicates a definite increase in interest in the elections among farmers and supporters of the Centre Party.
      Eagerness to vote among Centre Party supporters has increased by seven percentage points from early May, to 46%, and the increase among farmers was a full 17 points, to 47%.
     
The breakdown among professions suggests that the most likely to vote are white-collar professionals in high positions, nearly half of whom are determined to cast ballots.
      The most passive voters are those in blue collar professions, only 24% of whom are sure to vote. Those aged 18 to 25 remain the most indifferent age group, although enthusiasm among young voters has increased somewhat from just 16% in April to 25% in late May.
     
Supporters of the Left Alliance are the third-likeliest voters in the European elections (45%). In April the party had the highest percentage of likely voters - 56%.
      Supporters of the National Coalition Party are still the most likely to vote, with 51% saying that they will definitely go to the polls. However, supporters of the Centre Party (37%) and Green League (44%) have narrowed the gap somewhat from early May.
      The Social Democratic Party seems to be having the greatest difficulty in whipping up enthusiasm among its supporters; only 39% of SDP voters say that they are sure to vote.
     
The total percentage of sure voters, 37%, is exactly the same as it was in 1999 two weeks before the elections. However, the actual turnout at that time was just 31.4%.
      Polls taken this spring indicate that the proportion of those determined not to vote is four percentage points lower than in the previous European elections.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Justice Minister Koskinen predicts higher turnout for European Parliament elections than last time (26.5.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat