M. Gabel et Hd. Palmer, UNDERSTANDING VARIATION IN PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, European Journal of political research, 27(1), 1995, pp. 3-19
Much of the research on the European Community focuses on elites and i
nstitutions and as a result downplays the importance of the mass publi
c in determining the direction of European integration. A common justi
fication for this viewpoint is that members of the public provide a st
able reservoir of strong support for European integration. Recent poli
tical events, however, raise doubts about this depiction of a 'passive
public'. Consequently, there is a need for a fuller understanding of
European attitudes. We specify a number of hypotheses dealing with the
effects of international trade interests, security concerns, and demo
graphic characteristics on cross-national and cross-sectional variatio
ns in public support for European integration. Using Eurobarometer sur
veys and OECD data on EC trade from 1973-1989, we investigate these hy
potheses in a pooled cross-sectional model. Our statistical results re
veal that an individual's level of support is positively related to he
r nation's security and trade interests in EC membership and her perso
nal potential to benefit from liberalized markers for goods, labour; a
nd money.