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Crumbling in the face of cost? How cost considerations affect public support for European security and defence cooperation

Author

Listed:
  • Matthias Mader

    (Department of Politics and Public Administration, 26567University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany)

  • Moritz Neubert

    (School of Social Sciences, 26573University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany)

  • Felix Münchow

    (School of Social Sciences, 26573University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany)

  • Stephanie C Hofmann

    (Department of Political and Social Sciences, 10185European University Institute, Fiesole, Italy)

  • Harald Schoen

    (School of Social Sciences, 26573University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany)

  • Konstantin Gavras

    (School of Social Sciences, 26573University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany)

Abstract

In surveys, Europeans routinely express high levels of support for a common security and defence policy of the European Union. Do these responses reflect real demands or superficial support that would crumble if the issue was politicised? This article provides new answers to this question. We conducted pre-registered survey experiments with more than 40,000 respondents from 25 European countries in which we randomly varied whether respondents received information about potential costs of two hypothetical cooperative activities: military operations and defence procurement. Support for these activities was systematically lower when costs were mentioned. We conclude that, in the event of politicisation, there is considerable potential for shifts in opinion and that caution is required in deriving a mandate for specific activities from high approval rates for cooperation in general.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Mader & Moritz Neubert & Felix Münchow & Stephanie C Hofmann & Harald Schoen & Konstantin Gavras, 2024. "Crumbling in the face of cost? How cost considerations affect public support for European security and defence cooperation," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(3), pages 483-503, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:25:y:2024:i:3:p:483-503
    DOI: 10.1177/14651165241236777
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alexandru D Moise & Ioana-Elena Oana & Zbigniew Truchlewski & Chendi Wang, 2025. "Two functionalist logics of European Union polity formation under external threat: Evidence from a conjoint experiment," European Union Politics, , vol. 26(2), pages 369-392, June.
    2. Armin A. Bolouri & Tim Lohse & Salmai Qari, 2025. "Interdependent Preferences for Financing and Providing Public Goods—The Case of National Defense," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 78(3), pages 807-821, August.

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