The most important attitude in public opinion in the EU: Support for the EU.

Required:

Clawson & Oxley pp. 303-307.

Dalton, Russel. 2014. Citizen Politics, 6th edition, CQ Press, pp. 255-259.

Two articles assigned to you in week 2. Do not read these articles in full. Instead, only focus on the section where authors define support for the EU and the section where authors explain how they measure support for the EU. Write down the definition of the concept as well as how it is measured. Be prepared to present this information in class.

 

For this class, make sure you complete the research described below, answer the following questions, and bring your written answers to class:

1) Go to http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/cf/step1.cfm. Select item #4 (Membership to the EU) from the “select a question from the list” box.

Task 1: What is the question wording? What are the answer options?

2) Click “Step 2 – Choose a region.” Select “EU” and click “Step – 3 Define a period.”

3) Select September 1973 – May 2011 as the time period. Click “View Barometer results.”

4) Click “View chart view” (on the right side of your screen).

Task 2: What percentage of citizens support the EU? (Write down the range, for example: between 30 and 50%.) Briefly describe the chart (the over-time trend). Is there anything about the chart that surprises you?

Task 3: Pick a country of your choice and repeat steps 2-4. How does the country's trend compare to the trend in the entire EU?

 

Recommended:

Easton, D. 1975. "REASSESSMENT OF CONCEPT OF POLITICAL SUPPORT." British Journal of Political Science 5 (OCT):435-57.

Introductions to the following books:

Dalton, Russell J.  2004.  Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices : The Erosion of Political Support in Advanced Industrial Democracies, Comparative Politics.  Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.

Norris, Pippa.  1999.  Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Government.  Oxford England ; New York: Oxford University Press.