People feel more European than Eurosceptics believe n Older people in the UK contribute not just cost n Drug contracts on the rise n
Lap-dancing clubs ‘sexist’ but not a nuisance n Impact of protective measures n Faith learning largely invisible n
NEWS
Short prison sentences a perennial problem n Travel proves a positive challenge n Demand for parenting education n Reality of digital media political campaigning n Animated learning experiences n The sleep benefits for memory n
NEWS
People feel more European than Eurosceptics believe
ACROSS EUROPE, AND including the UK, people feel far more European than many Eurosceptics would suggest. A survey of over 30,000 respondents from all 27 EU member states finds that European identity is proving resilient to the unprecedented crisis that Europe has faced in the past few years. But a rift is growing between increasingly ‘European’ young people and an older generation who are less likely to identify with Europe, say researchers Dr Michael Bruter and Sarah Harrison. “On a ten-point scale, the level of
self-perceived European identity of the average EU citizen is 7.1”, explains Dr Bruter. Even in Europe’s most Eurosceptic countries, a majority of citizens feel European. In the UK, 55 per cent of Britons and 68 per cent of Northern Irish have an identity score of five out of ten or above. “Many in the British media –
and even some politicians – seem to think that so-called ‘Euro crisis’ could mark the beginning of the end for the European Union, at least in its political dimension, but what citizens tell us is quite different”, says Dr Bruter. A panel-study survey of a representative sample of British citizens between 2009 and 2012
reveals that levels of European identity in the UK are very stable over time. On a ten-point scale, they have only reduced by 0.2 on average over the whole period and actually increased for young citizens. Age matters, it appears, even in the images that citizens associate with the European Union. While respondents
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in the UK, which is reinforced by the contrasting experience of EU citizenship by younger and older citizens in their everyday life”, he suggests. Looking ahead, the study suggests
even stronger ‘Europeanising’ in future. “Over 90 per cent of Europeans believe that their children
A rift is growing between increasingly
‘European’ young people and an older generation who identify with Europe less
aged 45 and above predominantly think that if the EU were an animal, it would be an elephant, the majority of 18-45 year olds would instead liken it to a lion. When asked to associate the EU with a key human flaw or quality, the over-45s’ top answer is ‘stupidity’ and for under-45s, ‘intelligence’. This, Professor Bruter argues, confirms an essential finding about the European identity of the British public. “Beyond rather meaningless averages, there is a tale of two publics, one fiercely non-European, and one of the largest proportion of highly ‘Europeanised’ people in the whole of Europe. What we learn here, is that beyond education, there is a generational rift on Europe
and grandchildren will feel more European than them”, says Dr Bruter. Moreover, widespread support exists for broader EU citizenship rights such as EU-wide referenda and the direct election of a President of the European Council, even in the UK. “Overall, European identity is still seen as in the making, progressing, and evolving”, he concludes. “Europeanness is still perceived as part of our ‘future’ even more than our present.” n
” i Contact Dr Michael Bruter, London School
of Economics and Political Science Email
m.bruter@
lse.ac.uk Telephone 0207 955 6547 ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-1838
AUTUMN 2013 SOCIETY NOW 3
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