How Do Citizens Perceive European Integration?

Abstract

Presenting the first of three empirical chapters exploring the construction and constitution of (trans)national identities, this qualitatively oriented interview analysis provides an immediate and detailed view of identitive positions of citizens in the EU. Public opinion varies significantly among the population and statistics can only supply an aggregate overview, thus there are good reasons for including such an ethnographic method. For one, direct access to individuals makes for a good primary source. Moreover, it allows the reader not only to explore apparent, quantifiable statements, but also to aim at the underlying attitudes and cognitive preconceptions attached to European integration. The citations presented here are used to illustrate the arguments regarding the impact and meaning of integration policies, the perception of people’s changing national identities, and the volatile evolution of European transnational identity formation. Additionally, interviews enable the researcher to direct the questions to obtain open-ended questions that cannot be collected by pre-coded surveys, such as the EU’s Eurobarometer dataset. In designing a suitable questionnaire (see appendix), the aim was to enable people to share as much information as possible. This meant that the questions had to be for the most part open-ended and, on an intellectual level, comprehensible for citizens with different levels of education and cognition.