Compared to other institutions such as the police or courts, trust in the EU is medium. However, trust in the EU increased between December 2023 and June 2024. Green voters trust the EU the most, while BSW and AfD voters trust it the least.
Around 50 per cent of Germans associate the EU with peace and security. In the BSW and AfD electorates, only a minority associate the EU with peace and security. In a long-term comparison with 2018, associations with the EU are relatively stable. Only strength in the world is now less frequently associated with the EU than in 2018. Germany's membership of the EU is seen as important. Leaving the EU is only an option for a small minority. The desire to leave the EU is greatest among AfD voters. In addition, a large group expresses difficulties in understanding what is happening at EU level.
The decision to vote for a specific party in the 2024 European elections is characterised by similar factors as the voting decision in the 2021 Bundestag elections. This confirms the development of the European elections from a by-election to a mid-term election. The programmatic positions of the parties, their fundamental stance on the EU and their perceived problem-solving expertise are particularly important for the voting decision.
Voters of the Greens, the BSW and the AfD are most likely to say that the programmatic positions of these parties were completely or somewhat important for their voting decision. Among AfD voters, this proportion has risen by 13 points compared to the 2021 federal election (from 77 per cent to 90 per cent).
The ability to solve problems was also particularly important to AfD and Green voters. However, the importance of problem-solving skills has developed differently in both groups compared to the 2021 federal election. While the ability to solve problems has become less important for Green voters since 2021 (-13 points), it has become more important for AfD voters (+10 points). The proportion of SPD voters for whom problem-solving skills were important in their voting decision has also fallen (21 points).
Read the entire study “Gestiegenes Interesse an Europa – Ergebnisse aus repräsentativen Umfragen zu europapolitischen Einstellungen nach der Europawahl“ here as a PDF. Please note, to date the study is only available in German.
