Eurobarometer Data Service

Vote Intention

European Communities Study 1970

If elections took place tomorrow to elect deputies, for which party among the following ones would you be most likely to vote? [If
the respondent is below the voting age, ask "for which of these parties would you vote if you were already eligible to vote?] 

European Communities Study 1971/1973

If there were a general election tomorrow, which party would you give your first preference vote to?

Eurobarometer 2 ff.

If there were a general election tomorrow [If respondent is under 18 / below the voting age say: and you had a vote], which party would you support? (starting with Eurobarometer 32:) ... vote for?

The following country specific question wording is not always completely documented in the respective codebook documentation: 

Luxembourg (up to Eurobarometer 8), Ireland and Northern Ireland (up to Eurobarometer 16):

Generally speaking, which political party do you feel closer to? 

Italy (up to Eurobarometer 19):

Do you feel closer to any one of these parties in the following list than all the others? [IF YES] Which one? 

In addition, VOTE INTENTION was regularly asked in the MONTHLY MONITOR flash surveys 1994 and 1995.

ZA Study Number Eurobarometer Fieldwork Month Fieldwork Year Question Number Variable Name (1)
0626 ECS70 2-3 1970 - V98
0627 ECS71 7 1971 Q.44 V67
0628 ECS73 9-10 1973 Q.37 V103
0986 2 10-11 1974 Q.72 V37
0987 3 5 1975 Q.262/Q.264 (2) V90/V91
0988 4 10-11 1975 Q.262/Q.264 (2) V145/V146
0989 5 5-6 1976 Q.262/Q.264 (2) V223/V224
0990 6 11 1976 Q.262 (2) V166/V167
0991 7 4-5 1977 Q.262 V102
0992 8 10-11 1977 Q.262 V125
0993 9 5-6 1978 Q.261 V72
0994 10 10-11 1978 Q.262 V90
0995 10A 10-11 1978 Q.262 V72
1036 11 4 1979 Q.262 V119
1037 12 10 1979 Q.262 V39
1038 13 4 1980 Q.162 V83
1039 14 10-11 1980 Q.162 V76
1206 15 4 1981 Q.162 V70
1207 16 10-11 1981 Q.62 V72
1208 17 3-4 1982 Q.262 V251
1209 18 10 1982 Q.262 (2) V63/V65
1318 19 3-4 1983 Q.362 (2) V251/V253
1319 20 10 1983 Q.262 (2) V441/V443
1320 21 3-4 1984 Q.362 (2) V235/V237
1321 22 10-11 1984 Q.262 (2) V168/V169
1541 23 3-4 1985 Q.262 (2) V147/V148
1542 24 10-11 1985 Q.262 (2) V73/V74
1543 25 3-4 1986 Q.262 (2) V286/V287
1544 26 10-11 1986 Q.262 (2) V204/V205
1712 27 4 1987 Q.62/Q.63 (2) V368
1713 28 10-11 1987 Q.62/Q.63 (2) V465/V466
1714 29 3-4 1988 Q.62/Q.64 (2) V422/V423
1715 30 10-11 1988 Q.529 (2) V687
1750 31 3-4 1989 Q.531 (2) V481
1751 31A 7 1989 Q.165 (2) V193
1752 32 10-11 1989 D.4/D.5 (2) V1296/V1297
1753 33 3-4 1990 D.4/D.5 (2) V218/v219
1960 34.0 10-11 1990 D.4/D.5 (2) V283/V284
2031 35.0 3 1991 D.4/D.5 (2) V235/V236
2081 36 10-11 1991 D.4/D.5 (2) V397/V398
2141 37.0 3-4 1992 D.4 V606
2294 38.0 9-10 1992 D.4 V708
2346 39.0 3-4 1993 D.4 V674
2459 40 10-11 1993 D.4 V548
2490 41.0 4-5 1994 D.4 V422
2491 41.1 6-7 1994 D.4 V305
2563 42 11-12 1994 D.4 V461
2637 43.1 4-5 1995 D.4 V434
2689 44.0 10-11 1995 D.4 V577
2690 44.1 11-12 1995 D.4 V999
2828 44.2bis 2 1996 D.4 V549
2829 44.3 2-4 1996 D.4 V188
2898 46.0 10-11 1996 D.4 V617
2936 47.1 3-4 1997 D.4 V443
2959 48.0 10-11 1997 D.4 V965 
3052 49 4-5 1998 D.4  
3171 51.0 3-4 1999 D.4  
3204 52.0 10-11 1999 D.4  
3296 53 4-5 2000 D.4  
3387 54.1 11-12 2000 D.4  
3635 56.3 1-2 2002 D.4  


(1) Please note that the variable names refer to the final ICPSR/ZA codebook editions, if available.

(2) Including follow-up question "[If R does not know which party to support:] Which party would you be (most) inclined to support / (starting with Eurobarometer 18) ... to vote for?" in the following surveys: 

  • Eurobarometer 3 and 4: except for Belgium and Germany (Eurobarometer 3 "second vote") 
  • Eurobarometer 5 and 6: only for Netherlands, Ireland, Britain and Northern Ireland 
  • Eurobarometer 18 to 20 only for Great Britain, Eurobarometer 21, 23, and 25 to 29 also for Ireland and Northern Ireland
  • Eurobarometer 30 to 36 for all countries (Eurobarometer 30, 31, and 31A combined into one variable)