The number of Europeans who don’t vote is increasing: a quarter don’t vote in any elections, and over half shun the ballot box when it’s time to choose European Parliament representatives. The non-voter time bomb is a data journalism investigation in which, for the first time, non-voters in the European Union (EU) are compared with inequality, unemployment and education levels.

Which countries and districts have the highest abstention rates in the EU? Do people vote less where inequality is higher? Do lower salaries mean less participation? Does having a college degree influence voting?

Between 1974 and 2023, 351 million voters, 27 countries, 85,000 local councils and 697 electoral acts and 16 socio-economic indicators are analysed.

On Europe Day, the audience is invited to participate in a collective reflection on the motivations for abstaining from voting and how this phenomenon is affecting democracy in Europe. A conversation moderated by DIVERGENTE journalists Beatriz Walviesse Dias, Luciana Maruta and Sofia da Palma Rodrigues.