Does Issue Salience Affects Citizens' Evaluation of European Leadership? A Comparison Between the Constitutional and the Eurozone Crises

Abstract

Does the perceived stakes of an issue influence citizens’ assessment of leadership and their support for individual leaders and the political system as a whole? Could the same leader (and leadership type) be loved or hated depending on the type of crisis he or she is dealing with? Or is it simply a matter of leadership efficiency? Building on leadership and crisis approaches and also on political support literature, this article analyses public support during two different crises: the rejection of the constitutional treaty (2005-2007) and the on going Eurozone crisis. In both, Chancellor Angela Merkel took on a leadership role. But whereas during the first crisis, Merkel’s leadership was applauded, and public support for the EU remained stable or has increased, throughout the latter Merkel’s leadership has been subject to an array of criticisms and trust in the EU sharply eroded. This article seeks to explain this shift in public support. In particular, the article aims to establish to what extent different types of crises and, more specifically, variations in issue salience affect the attention and the evaluation of Europeans citizens regarding European leadership and the EU’s capacity to deliver.

Keywords: European Union, leadership, crisis, public support, issue salience