How Identity Interacts with Economic and Societal Rationality to Drive Public Opinion on the European Union. The Role of Crime, Unemployment and Immigration

Eu Policy Appraisals and Public Opinion: A Tale of Sophistication and Interdependence?

“…This finding is in line with previous research (e.g., Balestrini 2016a, 2016b; Balestrini, Flood, and Flockton 2011; Kehrberg 2007; Lahav 2004) that underscore the existence of instrumental relationships between unemployment, crime, immigration, and public services in citizens’ minds. The significance of this finding, though, extends farther by showing how people see the EU involvement in specific policies and its effects on their welfare.…”

“…High unemployment nurtures Euroscepticism. This result is in line with the one obtained with diffuse public EU support (Balestrini 2016a; Balestrini, Flood, and Flockton 2010, 2011; Gabel 1998). In national contexts of high unemployment, people are likely to regard the EU policy action as deficient.…”

“…Furthermore, in citizens’ minds, sociotropic instrumental relationships exist between immigration, unemployment, crime, and public services. These interconnections affect their views of national and European institutions of governance (see, for example, Balestrini 2016a, 2016b; Balestrini, Flood, and Flockton 2011; Kehrberg 2007; Lahav 2004). Therefore, despite people's focus on a few policy issues reported in the existing literature, is it conceivable that when people assess EU input in key policies, they appraise this input from one policy to another in an interdependent way?…”

“…Thus, better educated individuals and those enjoying higher social conditions—in other words, people with human and financial capital—have been shown to back integration as “market liberalization pertaining to integration” offers more opportunities for them (see, for example, Gabel 1998; Hix 1999; Hooghe, Huo, and Marks 2007). National levels of unemployment, immigration, crime, and social redistribution sway citizens’ support for integration (see, for example, Anderson and Kaltenthaler 1996; Balestrini 2016a; Balestrini, Flood, and Flockton 2010, 2011; Gabel 1998; Gabel and Palmer 1995; Sanchez‐Cuenca 2000). Political parties play a significant role in cueing mass attitudes on Euroscepticism (Balestrini 2016a; De Vries 2017).…”

How Do the Levels of Education and Occupations of Citizens Interact with the National Socio-Economic Context to Influence Public Opinion on Globalisation

“…The fact that ‘don't know’ responses represented around 14 per cent of all responses seems to substantiate this assumption. ‘Don't know’ responses have, moreover, been found to aid the capture of the opinions of people who neither agree nor disagree on an issue in the absence of such an alternative in the answer categories (see for example, Balestrini, 2012; Balestrini, Flood and Flockton, 2011). The regression results were very similar with or without integrating the ‘don't know’ category.…”