Economic Uncertainty and European Solidarity: Public Opinion Trends

Abstract

Impressive growth in public support for the European Community took place during the decade follow ing its founding; there is reason to believe that this development was partly due to the exceptional prosperity then prevailing in the Community's member nations. Con versely, there is evidence that the troubled economic conditions present since expansion of the Community in 1973 have had the opposite effect—subject to some important limiting factors. Analysis of public opinion survey data re veals a positive correlation between support for Community membership and a given nation's level of industrial pro duction at a given time point; and a negative correla tion with rates of inflation. Nevertheless, long-term in fluences seem to dominate the effects of the immediate economic context. Among these long-term factors, length of membership in the Community seems particularly important. But the presence of "Post-Materialist" value priorities, and of relatively high levels of "Cognitive Mobilization" also show significant linkages with public support for European integration.