Rallying Around the EU Flag: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Attitudes Toward European Integration
45 Pages Posted: 17 Aug 2022
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Rallying Around the EU Flag: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Attitudes Toward European Integration
Rallying Around the EU Flag: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Attitudes Toward European Integration
Date Written: 2022
Abstract
This paper uses a survey among students at European universities to explore whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected attitudes toward European integration. Some respondents completed the survey just before Russia’s assault on February 24, 2022, and some did so just afterwards, thus delivering a quasi-experimental design situation, which we exploit. Our results suggest that the ominous news about the Russian attack increased the participants’ interest in EU politics, consolidated their attachment to the EU, and made them more mindful and appreciative of the benefits of deeper European integration. In effect, the war so close to the EU Eastern border provoked a rally around the supranational EU flag, with convergence of public opinion toward shared European values.
Keywords: European integration, EU attitudes, external threat, rally around the flag, Ukraine, Russia
JEL Classification: F020, F500, H770, N440, Z180
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation