V4 residents are afraid of foreign influence on the European elections. Not only from Russia, but also from the EU

More than a third of the population of the V4 countries consider foreign countries’ attempts to influence the elections to the European Parliament (EP), which will take place in the Czech Republic on June 7 and 8, to be a big problem. Attempts by foreign states or international institutions to influence the European elections are perceived as a big problem by 55 percent of Poles, 35 percent of people in the Czech Republic, 31 percent in Slovakia and 38 percent in Hungary said so. This follows from a survey by the Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO).

Czechs, Poles and Hungarians are the first to mention concerns about Russian influence. 44 percent of people in the Czech Republic, more than half of Hungarians and over three fifths of Poles believe that Russia will influence the elections. However, the fear of the influence of the EU itself is lower by only one percent (by four percent in the Czech Republic, by five percent in Hungary and by nine percent in Poland. In Slovakia, people expressed this fear even more often than with regard to the influence of Russia, namely in 39 percent of cases.

In Hungary, 47 percent of people are also worried about Chinese influence, in Poland the same proportion mentions the possible influence of Germany. Czechs and Hungarians also expect the influence of the United States in the leading positions.

Czechs and Poles showed a higher degree of satisfaction with the functioning of democracy compared to the other V4 countries, roughly a third of respondents in these countries are satisfied.

In Slovakia and Hungary, a fifth of the population is satisfied with the functioning of democracy. Three quarters of Hungarians, 67 percent of Slovaks, three fifths of Czechs and roughly half of Poles agreed with the statement that most politicians are corrupt.

Euro elections 2024

“About a quarter of the Czech population trusts the European Parliament and the European Commission. Confidence in Czech institutions – the Parliament, the government and domestic political parties – is paradoxically lower than in European ones,” Michal Šenk from CEDMO commented on the results for the Czech Republic. Czechs are divided into three roughly equal parts in their attitude towards the EU. Three out of ten Czechs perceive the Union positively, a third of people are neutral, and 37 percent have a negative attitude towards the Union.

Poles showed the greatest interest in participating in the European elections in the survey, about 78 percent of whom want to come. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, about six out of ten respondents plan to participate. Such turnout in the Czech Republic would significantly exceed the values ​​from the previous four votes on the occupation of the European Parliament.

Over 1,000 adult respondents participated in the survey in each of the V4 countries. The survey took place at the turn of March and April. Data collection for CEDMO was provided by Ipsos in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and by Instytut Badań Pollster in Poland.