Economic perceptions and attitudes towards the European Union: A survey experiment
| Author | Ignacio Jurado |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14651165221107100 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Letter |
Economic perceptions and
attitudes towards the
European Union: A survey
experiment
Ignacio Jurado
Department of Social Sciences and Carlos III-Juan March
Institute, University Carlos III of Madrid, Getafe (Madrid), Spain
Abstract
This article analyses the effect of economic assessments on attitudes towards the
European Union. The literature has mostly studied this question with observational
data (which does not allow to establish a causal link), and has not explored how different
countries’s experiences during economic hardship shape opinions about the European
Union. To account for this, I run a sur vey vignette experiment in Germany –a creditor
countries’s during the Great Recession –and Spain –a debtor country. I find that having
worse perceptions about the impact of the crisis erodes attitudes towards the European
Union. The mechanism is, however, different across countries. In Germany, worse eco-
nomic evaluations reduce the perception that the European Union is a beneficial project.
Conversely, in Spain, negative assessments about the financial crisis are linked to beliefs
that democratic representation is limited in the European Union. These results are rele-
vant to understand the conditions and mechanisms by which attitudes towards the
European Union are worsened.
Motivation
Do negative perceptions about the economy erode opinions about the European Union
(EU)? Does this relation vary depending on each country’s experience during an eco-
nomic crisis? The recent Great Recession revived the interest about the impact of eco-
nomic assessments on support for the EU. This crisis has been an important milestone,
not only because of its magnitude but also because it required the assistance of the
Corresponding author:
Ignacio Jurado, Department of Social Sciences, Carlos III University of Madrid, Calle Madrid 126, CP:28093,
Getafe (Madrid), Spain.
Email: ignacio.jurado@uc3m.es
Letter
European Union Politics
2022, Vol. 23(4) 721–728
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/14651165221107100
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