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Support for European Union membership comes in various guises: Evidence from a Correlational Class Analysis of novel Dutch survey data

Author

Listed:
  • Elske van den Hoogen

    (Department of Public Administration & Sociology, 6984Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands)

  • Stijn Daenekindt

    (Department of Sociology, 26656Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium)

  • Willem de Koster

    (Department of Public Administration & Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands)

  • Jeroen van der Waal

    (Department of Public Administration & Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands)

Abstract

While ample research has scrutinised the causes and consequences of support for the European Union, a pressing question remains: what do people actually mean when they express support for, or opposition to, their country’s membership of the institution? We use Correlational Class Analysis to assess this. Our analysis of high-quality representative Dutch survey data ( n  = 2053), including novel items informed by in-depth qualitative research, reveals that European Union support comes in three guises: federalist, non-federalist and instrumental-pragmatist Strikingly, many Europhiles are not federalists. In addition, we reveal that the social bases of the three types of support especially differ regarding political competence, political orientation, and media consumption. The implications for ongoing debates on European Union atttidues are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Elske van den Hoogen & Stijn Daenekindt & Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal, 2022. "Support for European Union membership comes in various guises: Evidence from a Correlational Class Analysis of novel Dutch survey data," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(3), pages 489-508, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:23:y:2022:i:3:p:489-508
    DOI: 10.1177/14651165221101505
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hobolt, Sara B. & Wratil, Christopher, 2015. "Public opinion and the crisis: the dynamics of support for the euro," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60788, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Elske van den Hoogen & Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal, 2022. "What Does the EU Actually Mean to Citizens? An in‐Depth Study of Dutch citizens' Understandings and Evaluations of the European Union," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1432-1448, September.
    3. Rachid Azrout & Joost Van Spanje & Claes De Vreese, 2012. "When News Matters: Media Effects on Public Support for European Union Enlargement in 21 Countries," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 691-708, September.
    4. Samira van Bohemen & Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal, 2019. "Euroscepticism among Dutch Leftist and Rightist Populist Constituencies: How can the U‐Curve be Understood?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 371-387, March.
    5. Rob Eisinga & Manfred Grotenhuis & Ben Pelzer, 2013. "The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 58(4), pages 637-642, August.
    6. Goodwin, Matthew & Hix, Simon & Pickup, Mark, 2020. "For and Against Brexit: A Survey Experiment of the Impact of Campaign Effects on Public Attitudes toward EU Membership," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(2), pages 481-495, April.
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