Eu Policy Appraisals and Public Opinion: A Tale of Sophistication and Interdependence?

Abstract

Although the literature about European Union (EU) public opinion is quite extensive, much of it focuses on general indexes of support for the EU or one specific EU policy area. The study of citizens’ appraisal of the EU contribution across socioeconomic policies and its interdependence is uncharted territory. The present article addresses this gap in the research. Using Eurobarometer data, it is demonstrated that national publics tend to be dissatisfied with the EU contribution across policies and that this assessment is consistent and interrelated from one policy to another. Education is found to have only a relatively modest impact on this assessment while the degree of an EU member state’s integration in the world economy is not found to sway the latter. The findings finally show that national levels of unemployment, immigration, income dispersion, and the positioning of party leaderships on social redistribution influence public opinion on EU policy input. In the light of these findings, implications are drawn.