Fewer than 40 per cent of Europeans know that the European elections will be held in May, and only 5 per cent can give the exact dates, a survey showed Thursday.

According to the poll published by the European Parliament and Kantar Public, 38 per cent of Europeans (excluding Britain) knew in early March the month of the May 23-26 elections. 

The proportion went above 50 per cent in only seven countries, including Italy where eurosceptics led by deputy Prime minister Matteo Salvini hope to ride to victory.

The poll, however, showed that a large majority of Europeans support EU membership (61 per cent on average in 27 countries, excluding the United Kingdom), a level not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.

The survey was carried out between 19 February and 4 March in the 28 member states, among 27,973 people over 15 years of age.

The main areas of concern for Europeans remain the economy, growth, the fight against youth unemployment and immigration. 

The survey said 44 per cent believe that immigration should be a priority in the campaign, compared to 50 per cent in the previous poll in October.

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