Who identifies with Europe? A multi-level analysis of European identity and political support for a European community

In today’s European politics, European integration and further enlargements of the European Union (EU) are two of the most salient issues on the political agenda. Public opinion is becoming increasingly decisive for EU policy-making, and it is crucial to identify the factors that shape European identity and public opinion about the integration process in order to understand and predict the dynamics of European integration. I argue a European identity that indicates support for the EU is a “civic” or “political” identity that reflects economic and political values and principles promoted by EU institutions. Employing survey data from the 2005-2006 World Values Survey for 17 European countries, I evaluate the effects of utilitarian and national identity factors on European identity. The results of the multiple, multi-level linear regression analysis indicate that economic and political factors on both the macro and micro level shape European identity and support for European integration.