Analysing Eurosceptic voting patterns in rural areas
A new study commissioned by the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Natural Resources analyses Eurosceptic voting patterns and identifies possible explanations for voter discontent in rural areas.
The study – ‘Rural areas and the geography of discontent’ – applies a rural-urban lens to the outcomes of recent national and subnational elections in several EU Member States, highlighting high Eurosceptic voting in many rural areas across the EU. It identifies electoral patterns in anti-EU voting, which demonstrate how rural areas can be central to the success of Eurosceptic parties and underscore the urgency of initiatives targeting the strengthening of rural areas, such as the EU Rural Vision.
The conclusions of the study provide a useful basis to reflect on and debate the rural dimension of Eurosceptic and anti-EU sentiment in view of the European elections in June.