Previous studies of voter turnout in European Parliament elections have analyzed whether attitudes towards Europe affect the likelihood of voting. Most studies show that Euro-supporters are more likely to cast a vote in EP elections. But the idea that Euro-skeptic voters do not participate stands in stark contrast with the empirical success of anti-European parties in the last European el ections. If Euro-skeptic voters do not participate, who voted for them? We argue that previous studies did not fully explore country-level heterogeneity. Our analysis shows that in a few countries – and most notably in the United Kingdom – voters do not behave as their counterparts in the rest of Europe. While in most countries Europhilic voters are more likely to turnout, in the UK and a few other countries, Euro-skepticism actually increases turnout. We explain this voter-level heterogeneity with features that are specific to the country or party system. Only in presence of a strong anti-European party, can Euro-skepticism mobilize and increase turnout (relative to Euro-supporters). These results have strong implications for the future of European integration.
