The 2019 post-electoral survey among European expatriates

Conducted a few weeks after the May 2019 ballot, the survey, covering the twelve nationalities with the highest number of expatriates, gathers insights on how and why expatriates voted, for which issues they care, how Brexit affected their choices, and how they perceive the European Union and the European Parliament.

The study clearly shows that turnout tended to be lower among these communities and explores what might have been the likely causes. Although expatriates have the same right to vote in European elections as other citizens, in some countries voting as an expatriate involves more steps than voting in the country of one’s citizenship, what might be perceived by some as a potential barrier.

Findings show that, among others, over a third of the ones who voted encountered difficulties and a quarter of the abstainers specifically mentioned that they did not vote because it was too difficult to vote from abroad. Additionally, every fifth respondent cited not knowing where or how to vote or reported voting card issues.

Looking at the voters’ profile, expat voters tend to be aged 25 to 54, highly educated, employed, residing in urban areas and usually long-term residents in the host country. They are slightly more likely to vote for parties from their country of nationality rather than for parties from their country of residence

When it comes to the general attitudes towards the EU, expatriates who participated in the study showed more pro-European views than the general population. Their most common reason for voting in the EE19 was feeling of being European, or of being an EU citizen, a sentiment expressed much more strongly than in the EU28 population as a whole. In addition, the most common decisive issue that influenced their vote was the way the EU should work in the future.