Understanding Attitudes to the European Community
A Social-Psychological Study in Four Member States

This 1986 study presents an insightful perspective on public attitudes towards the European Community.

Miles Hewstone (Author)

9780521154956, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 April 2011

326 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.48 kg

This 1986 study presents an insightful perspective on public attitudes towards the European Community. It contains a review of the findings from public opinion surveys of the time on this issue, but goes beyond straightforward description to provide a real understanding of European attitudes. A variety of social-psychological theories are used to test a model of the structure underlying Community attitudes. The original data reported in the present study parallel the findings from much larger, representative and long-term surveys of public opinion. Thus Miles Hewstone is able to derive from his research a wide-ranging analysis of cross-national differences in attitudinal support, the Community's impact on its citizens, and the likely trends in attitude and voting behaviour. At a time when the entry of Spain and Portugal had further expanded the Community's membership, such issues were particularly timely and this clear and penetrating study especially welcome.

List of tables
List of illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1. The idea of Europe: dream and reality
2. Public opinion and European integration: a review and critique
3. Towards a social-psychological analysis of 'Europeanism'
4. Social representations of the European community: content-analyses of open-ended responses
5. The social psychology of the European community: cross-national comparisons
6. Predicting attitudes towards the European Community: towards a model of underlying structure
7. Conclusion: findings and implications
Appendices
Notes
References
Subject index
Author index.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]