BNS: Half of Lithuanian population planning on casting votes in EP elections
Updated 2008-10-07
VILNIUS, Oct 07, BNS - About 52 percent of Lithuanian inhabitants plan to partake in next year's European Parliament (EP) elections - a figure 20 percent less than that of last year.This tendency was revealed in a representative survey conducted by Vilmorus pollster on Aug. 21 through Sept. 3, commissioned by the Representation of the European Commission (EC) in Lithuania. This poll's results are compared with those of last year.A total of 13 MEPs are elected in Lithuania.
The number of Lithuanians feeling positive about the country's EU membership decreased from 32 to 28 percent, with a leap evident in the number of inhabitants against Lithuania's EU membership (from 11 to 16 percent). Some 69 percent of respondents said their opinions on the matter have either remained the same or changed for the better.
Fewer inhabitants, in comparison to 2007, believe EU membership to help strengthen democracy in Lithuania (49 to 43 percent). The number of disbelievers that Lithuania is capable of competing with other EU members jumped from 46 percent last year to 63 percent.
Among the reasons behind the improvement of opinions about EU membership, 67 percent of respondents indicated the opportunity to work abroad more opportunities to study abroad (53 percent). Some 51 percent of those polled said they would seek employment in foreign countries if they had possibilities, while 14 percent, mainly younger people, said they were actually planning to work abroad.
The main reasons for Euro-skepticism include price rise (75 percent), emigration of the brightest persons (64 percent) and use of cheap labor by foreign countries (52 percent).
Over the past year, the opinion of Lithuanian-Russian relations has changed for the worse - 63 percent of those polled said the ties worsened over the four years of Lithuania's EU membership, while 1.6 percent said the changes were for the better. A year ago, negative changes were indicated by almost 41 percent of respondents, while positive changes were referred to by 4.3 percent of those polled.
