Mapping EU attitudes: Conceptual and empirical dimensions of Euroscepticism and EU support

Abstract

Public attitudes towards the European Union (EU) are at the heart of a growing body of research. The nature, structure and antecedents of these attitudes, however, are in need of conceptual and empirical refinement. With growing diversification of the policies of the Union, a one-dimensional approach to attitudes towards the EU may be insufficient. This study reviews existing approaches towards theorizing EU public opinion. Based on this inventory, originally collected public opinion survey data (n = 1394) indicate the presence of five dimensions of EU attitudes: performance, identity, affection, utilitarianism and strengthening. The study furthermore shows that different predictors of EU public opinion matter to differing extents when explaining these dimensions. In light of these findings, we suggest tightening the link, conceptually and empirically, between attitudinal dimensions and their antecedents.

Debating Europe: Effects of the “Eurovision Debate” on EU Attitudes of Young German Voters and the Moderating Role Played by Political Involvement

“…Existing studies indicate that young voters are usually better informed about the EU (e.g., Maier & Bathelt, 2013), tend to hold more pro-European attitudes (e.g., Boomgaarden, Schuck, Elenbaas, & de Vreese, 2011), and yet they are less likely to participate in EP elections (e.g., Bhatti & Hansen, 2012). It is noteworthy, though, that there is a general lack of studies focusing on the effects of campaign communication on this voter segment in general (see, e.g., Kaid, McKinney, & Tedesco, 2007) and with regard to the EU in particular (e.g., Esser & de Vreese, 2007).…”

Evaluations of the Spitzenkandidaten: The Role of Information and News Exposure in Citizens’ Preference Formation

“…These range from 1 ('strongly disagree') to 7 ('strongly agree'). The five factors, identified by confirmatory factor analysis, correspond to those identified by Boomgaarden et al (2011) Utilitarianism and Idealism (M=3.76,SD=1.29,α=0.856), Performance (M=3.06,SD=1.19,α=0.870), Identity (M=2.73,SD=1.35,α=0.863),and Strengthening (M=2.81,SD=1.26,α=0.723). A similar rationale underpins the consideration of Government satisfaction as an additional control.…”

“…Here we control for EU attitudes, as strong individual preferences for EU integration might matter for the extent to which respondents are willing to provide a preference for each Spitzenkandidat; and might also impact their actual preferences. Since EU attitudes are multidimensional (Boomgaarden, Schuck, Elenbaas, & De Vreese, 2011), we use five factors which are averaged from a total of 18 survey questions from the third wave. These range from 1 ('strongly disagree') to 7 ('strongly agree').…”

Euroscepticism – a today’s issue with tomorrow consequences

“…The concept of Euroscepticism was originally used to characterize the way in which political parties faced the process of European integration (Taggart, 1998). Moreover, Boomgaarden et al (2011) stress the idea that, since the process of European integration has a multifaceted nature, the same complex nature should be considered when addressing the attitudes towards the process. That is why the authors' definition of Euroscepticism as "opposition towards a specific policy or integration effort" (2011, p. 242) sees Euroscepticism as one of many other engines which drive public opinion.…”

“…The work of Boomgaarden et al (2011) is essential since it clarifies the existent theoretical foundations and refines them. Taking into account different forms of public support, the authors suggest that specific support means support for the outcomes of a concrete policy, whereas diffuse support means an evaluation referring to what is an object, not to how it functions.…”