Around the EU Turnout in tomorrow's European elections in the Republic should be significantly higher than in 1999, according to an opinion poll published yesterday.
The poll, commissioned by the European Parliament and the European Commission, and carried out by EOS Gallup, found that 68 per cent of voters in the State said they were certain to vote.
This is an increase on two earlier waves of polling carried out over the past month by the same organisation, which showed certainty to vote at 57 per cent in early May and 61 per cent in mid-May.
In the 1999 elections for the European Parliament, turnout was only 50.5 per cent.
According to the pollsters, the proportion of voters who know the correct date of the elections has risen to 74 per cent, compared with 53 per cent in early May.
But only 30 per cent of voters knew how many states there were in the enlarged European union, a reduction from the 41 per cent who got the answer right a month ago.
Asked to state what the campaign themes should be, 42 per cent cited crime, 37 per cent cited the environment, 36 per cent said unemployment, ahead of terrorism, at 29 per cent, economic growth, 28 per cent, immigration, 26 per cent, and agriculture, 21 per cent.The most popular motive cited for voting was "the positions of the candidates on national issues".