In anticipation of the European elections in June, Clip News leveraged digital listening and social listening tools to understand the evolving discussion on this topic based on online media data. Despite typically low voter turnout across Europe, public discourse has been active for months, with social media platforms buzzing with comments from political figures and citizens.The Clip News team analyzed 463,000 online mentions in Greece, specifically from sites, blogs, forums, X (Twitter), Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit, for the period from January 1 to April 9, 2024. The search setup, data collection, and media analysis were conducted using the Brandwatch platform, a tool for Digital Listening, Social Listening, and Consumer Insights Analysis.
Περιεχόμενα
Opinion polls
According to current polls, European citizens expect the EU to address a range of serious issues, such as the rising cost of living, economic growth, and the protection of social rights. In Greece, major political parties face internal challenges and efforts to persuade voters as the elections approach. Topics like cost of living, agricultural policy, the rail accident at Tempi, legislation on private universities and same-sex marriage, seem to define the political debate.
Online Media Data Overview
The following graph shows the daily evolution of references on the examined media platforms. There is a clear, increasing trend in online discussions about the European elections in Greece, with noticeable fluctuations that correspond to news events or developments that spike online interest. For instance, a peak in February can be attributed to numerous references of a resolution based on a report by Dutch Liberal MEP Sophie In ‘t Veld, which expressed concerns about the rule of law in Greece. In March, a political message emailed by a MEP to Greek expatriate dominated the conversation. 
Sources breakdown
As expected, the majority of references comes from sites, where articles and analyses are prevalent. Following closely is X (Twitter), with political posts and user comments generating significant engagement. Facebook and blog posts are also notable, while other social media platforms like forums, Reddit, and Tumblr show limited activity. 
News Coverage
During January-February, articles and analyses on websites began covering broader themes, discussing Euroscepticism, the future of the EU, and the need for reforms, alongside emerging trends of polarization observed across various European countries.
As the elections draw closer, websites focus on party candidates, as intense debates and exchanges of criticism between political parties emerge. The issue of political message emailed to Greek expatriates was prominent in March, increasing political confrontations.
By April, articles refer to poll results, which indicate voter intentions for the European elections. Also, journalists analyze emerging issues and political parties discuss strategies and present their proposals. Some of the sites with a high Impact Score are highlighted below for their publications on the European elections. The Impact Score is a metric that indicates the impact of a publication or a post on its audience. It is an algorithm indicating a score from 1 to 100 demonstrating the importance of a publication or a post. 
Political Discussion on X (Twitter)
On X (Twitter), posts by users about the following topics gather hundreds of retweets: the ongoing investigation into the rail accident at Tempi, concerns about institutions in Greece, and judgemental comments about various MEP candidates from all parties. 
Key Players
Posts by political figures and journalists commenting on developments related to the European elections have significant resonance. The following lists likely present individuals or voices with substantial influence in the discussion. The first column on the left shows rankings based on the number of followers, highlighting an announcement by Yanis Varoufakis, General Secretary of MeRA25, about the party’s participation in the elections. The second image captures rankings based on the Impact Score, where a tweet by Pyrros Dimas announcing his candidacy with New Democracy political party stands out. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ tweet about establishing postal voting appears in second place in both columns. 
Topics and User Sentiment
The following measurements on X (Twitter) are interesting. The first column on the left displays the top hashtags based on the total number of posts, providing an idea of the topics that dominated public discussion, all relating to the European elections and political parties. The second column shows the users most frequently mentioned (@), predominant political figures and popular users on X (Twitter). Lastly, the third column displays the emojis chosen most frequently, reflecting users’ sentiment and reactions. Notably, the top three emojis reflect a context of irony and disapproval shaped by user comments, mainly about the choice of specific individuals as candidates for the European elections. 
Top Topics and Other Aspects
The following Word Cloud presents the overall topic landscape of the European elections for the examined period. Phrases that appear most frequently are shown in brown, with the font size reflecting the volume of references, while the most frequent hashtags are displayed in blue.
Apart from the Prime Minister’s name being mentioned frequently, significant emphasis is placed on the European Parliament’s resolution in February on the rule of law in Greece, the issue of postal voting, and the case of political message sent by a MEP to expatriate Greeks.
Other emerging topics in the broader discussion of the European elections outline deeper concerns among citizens, such as the names of candidates announced so far, the investigation of the rail accident at Tempi, the war in Ukraine, farmers’ claims, bills on private universities and same-sex marriage. 
An Overview in Cyprus and Worldwide
Beyond Greece, the Clip News team also conducted a detailed overview of global online media data to understand the broader climate surrounding the issue.
In Cyprus, the finalization of party candidate lists for the European elections is a frontline topic, along with calls from Cypriot MEPs for participation through their statements to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA). The following graph reflects the most and least concerning topics for the defined period.
The two-day working visit of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to Cyprus was a major news topic. During her visit, she assessed the progress of the Cyprus Republic’s initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza, “Amalthea,” and engaged in dialogue with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youth organization representatives from civil society about the European elections. 
Outside Greece and Cyprus, the majority of references in the English-speaking internet came from X (54%), followed by sites (40%), with other social media trailing behind. The distribution of emotions related to mentions of the European elections globally is intriguing. Negative emotions prevail, with fear standing out at 37% and sadness following at 28%. Anger and disgust are also present in online public reactions. Conversely, joy and surprise are less common emotions during the examined period. 
The following Word Cloud displays the most frequent phrases or words related to discussions about the European elections. The size of each phrase or word indicates its frequency of appearance in discussions or articles, with larger ones being more frequent. Phrases or words like European Parliament, Elections, Union, Minister, President, and Europe dominate. Political figures such as the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, are also prominent. Significant space is occupied by countries like France and Germany, as well as Russia and Ukraine, indicating the impact of international events on the European elections. 
Finally, the following map illustrates the global coverage of online media data related to the upcoming European elections, based on geographic location. The map shows the volume of mentions by country, with various shades of blue representing different levels of mention numbers, with darker colors indicating more mentions. Significant volumes of mentions are observed in many parts of the world, including outside Europe, such as in the USA, Canada, and Australia. The European elections thus appear to generate intense interest online beyond Europe’s borders, possibly due to the implications of decisions made within the EU. 
In Conclusion
In this analysis, we made an effort to provide a comprehensive overview based on hundreds of thousands of online media data (data from sites, blogs, and social media) regarding the European elections. The focus was primarily on the picture in Greece. However, a brief overview of corresponding data in English at a global level was also presented.
In a world where digital voices can influence the political landscape, our analysis of the European elections in June 2024 reflects the depth of online discussion. The online data highlighted the political dynamics, critical issues concerning citizens, and their emotional reactions.
The internet references analyzed by our team reveal a continuous increase in interest in the European elections, reflecting citizens’ expectations for change and improvement in the EU.
In the context of conducting the study and analysis of online media data for this major current issue, we are honored to host a statement provided by the Press Officers of the European Parliament’s Offices in Greece and Cyprus regarding the necessity of citizen participation in the voting process. Specifically, Ms. Efstathiou Anna, Ms. Forte Elvira, and Ms. Pieridou Thea stated: “The upcoming European elections are one of the largest democratic processes in the world and represent a unique opportunity for voters to determine the future shape and direction of Europe. Let us leverage our vote to strengthen democracy and ensure peace and prosperity for future generations.“
Analysis Identity
Online media data collection platform: Brandwatch (digital listening, social listening)
Time period: 01/01/2024 – 09/04/2024
Online media sources: sites, blogs, forums, X, Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit
Keywording/Analysis: Clip News Team
The above analysis is an indicative approach, considering that a variation in online media data sample and time frame could present a different picture.
