CEORG May 2002 Omnibus Survey on Attitudes towards EU Membership in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Russian Federation
The latest public opinion research, conducted by the Central European Opinion Research Group Foundation – CEORG – in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Russian Federation in May 2002, looked into the eagerness of the public to participate in eventual referendum on EU accession, and into the overall acceptance of EU membership.
In all of the four countries where the research took place, a possible referendum on EU accession would attract participation of more than 50% of the eligible voters. The highest participation rate would be in Hungary (76,1%) and lowest in the Russian Federation (53,1%). The highest amount of those that would not participate in the referendum is in Russia (33%), while the highest amount of the undecided ones is in the Czech Republic (21,8%).
Of those who are prepared to take part in the referendum, in all countries the majorities would vote in favour of the EU accession. The highest amount of EU accession opponents that would participate in a referendum is in the Czech Republic (29,1%). Between 6,4% (Poland) to 10,9% (Russia) of those that would participate in the referendum are not decided whether to vote for or against the EU membership.
Those who declared not to be willing to participate in the referendum or did not know whether they would take part, were asked about their hypothetical vote. Among them, the biggest group in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland is still undecided. In the Czech Republic, those that would vote against EU accession prevail over those that would vote for; in Poland these groups are equally strong; and in Hungary and the Russian Federation even among those, that would not vote in referendum, EU supporters outnumber those who are against.
If the results for both those that would and those that would not participate in the referendum are put together, in all countries EU supporters have relative majority. However, while in the Czech Republic the group of supporters does not reach 50% of the overall population; in Hungary 72,1% of respondents are for the EU accession. Hungary has also the smallest group of EU membership opponents (9,5%), while in other countries this group has between 20 to 30%. Over one quarter of Czech respondents are undecided in their opinion on EU membership, for other countries this number ranges from 16,1% to 22,4%.
» CEORG May 2002 Omnibus Survey (pdf-file)
