Divergence from within : an investigation into regional variations of public opinion towards European integration

Over the past decade, several European Union (EU) member-states have expanded the \nprocess. of decentralisation by granting further autonomy to subnational regions. This \nrecent push for devolution is described by Michael Keating (1998) as new regionalism, \nthe subnational answer to globalisation. Regions around Europe are now more \naccessible to one another to share commonalities across trans-national networks which \nin turn can help foster a greater sense and desire for autonomy (Keating 1998: 89). \nFurthermore, sub-state nationalism can consequently affect a region's desire for \nintegration within Europe. Traditionally, European integration public opinion studies \nhave remained focused at the national and individual levels, rarely taking the regional \nlevel into account. This dissertation attempts to break this mould and demonstrate that \npublic opinion towards European integration can vary as much within member-states as \nit does between them. Through the use of quantitative investigations of public opinion \ndata, this study reveals that several factors which contribute to 'new regionalism' also \ncontribute to variations in regional EU support. These factors include regional contrasts \nwithin the realms of economy, politics and identity. In addition, this research notes that \nindividuals may perceive certain national evaluations from within the regional context. \nFurthermore, the relationship between regional assertiveness and European integration \nis also analysed. While it is demonstrated that most regional political parties tend to \nfavour European integration, this is not often the case amongst the public of these \nassertive regions. Regions where assertion is high and identity is stronger will less \nlikely support European integration. The results of this research demonstrate that the \nnature of public opinion in Europe is possibly more complex than initially thought. \nMoreover, it builds on previous research of public opinion towards European integration \nby adapting to the continuous change in the multilevel structure of Europe taking into \naccount the contextual dynamics of which Europeans shape their opinion. \n