One in four Spaniards believes the future of the European Union (EU) is in danger. This is according to new polling data from market and social research body Instituto DYM.

Just a week before the European elections, which in Spain will also likely have significant domestic political implications, 25.8 percent of Spaniards surveyed believe that the future of the EU is in ‘great’ or ‘considerable danger’, compared with around a third (32.7 percent) who believe that there is little or no danger.

Up to 22.2 percent of those surveyed said the EU was in considerable danger, and 3.6 percent in great danger. Interestingly, this a fall from the 2022 result, when 4.4 percent of respondents said the EU’s survival was in great danger. It is worth noting that this was the year when Russia first invaded Ukraine.

Although more people have a positive view of the EU’s continuation in the future overall, six out of ten Spaniards nonetheless believe that these elections will be decisive in determining the future of the EU. This comes amid global political instability, war on Europe’s eastern border, and a surging far-right movement across the continent.

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In terms of party political affiliation, PSOE and PP voters were the most convinced of the importance of the upcoming European elections on June 9th. 69.9 percent and 65.6 percent respectively believe that the outcome of the elections will be decisive for the bloc’s future, a position shared by 61.7 percent of far-left Sumar voters and just 50.5 percent of far-right Vox voters.

Young people were found to be the most pessimistic about the survival of the EU – 36.5 percent of those sceptical about the EU’s future were aged between 18 and 35.

The current geopolitical instability around the world is also weighing on many Spaniards’ minds. 77 percent of those polled said that the vote is important for “Europe to be able to deal with the tensions that have arisen in the current geopolitical context”. 12.1 percent thought that this was not the case.

Though Spaniards clearly see the importance of European elections, especially in the context of war, the European elections results will likely have greater implications at the domestic level than at the European.

The Spanish right, led by the Partido Popular (PP), have attempted to frame the poll as a plebiscite on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This follows months of division and acrimony following last July’s general election and the controversial amnesty bill for Catalan separatists, which was finally approved in the Spanish Congress last week. 

READ ALSO: Who will win the European elections in Spain?

Another interesting wrinkle to the European campaign is the reemergence of Irene Montero, Spain’s controversial former Equalities Minister, onto the political scene.

Montero was widely blamed for the disastrous ‘Solo sí es sí‘ sexual consent law that inadvertently released or reduced the sentences of hundreds of sex offenders. She will be heading the Podemos list for the election and hoping to use the campaign as a way to relaunch her career.

The European elections run from June 6th to June 9th. In Spain elections are always held on Sundays, so the poll will be on Sunday June 9th.