Europe: Requiem for an Idea?

Abstract

This dissertation connects an idea of Europe, the Kantian idea of Europe, with public opinion data measuring support for the EU. By the Kantian idea of Europe, I refer to the idea of the EU as a federation of independent republics. I look at multiple dimensions of support for the EU. The first dimension is utilitarian. As the initial promise of the EU and its predecessor institutions was largely economic, I check if public support for the EU is contingent on economic performance and find mixed support for my hypotheses. The dimension I consider comes from revised modernization theory. I check and see if education, interest in politics and postmaterialist values play a role in determining support for the EU. Postmaterialists do support the EU more than materialists do, but stagnant levels of materialism over the last three decades means that we cannot rely on value change to provide support for the EU in the future. Next, I consider the minority nationalisms in European nation-states which have long sought greater autonomy vis-a-vis the nation-state. The EU was considered a vehicle for achieving this autonomy but its impact has been limited at best. I also check if people who are from these regions seeking greater autonomy are more supportive of the EU than others in their state. I find that support for this hypothesis is limited at best. Finally, I turn my attention to the creation of a European identity in opposition to an 'other', namely the Muslim immigrant. The question animating my analysis here is whether there is a nascent European nationalism which sees itself in opposition to the Muslim 'other'. My analysis shows that those who are generally biased against immigrants do not support the EU. However, if we differentiate between immigrants from within the EU and those from outside the EU, there is much more support for the former. This doesn't necessarily mean that there will be an affective European identity, but does lead me to conclude that there exists a base for one. All my analyses are conducted using data from the Eurobarometer and European Social Survey. Both the surveys provide a long time-series and ask questions which measure support for the EU.