Does the EU Economic Crisis undermine Subjective Europeanisation? Assessing the Dynamics of Citizens' EU Framings between 2004 and 2013

This study examines the effects of the recent economic crisis, the resulting EU financial stability program and the politicisation of the EU on four dimensions of EU framing among Europeans. Based on a detailed set of items on EU meanings from pooled Eurobarometer data from 2004 to 2013, I investigate the evolution of cosmopolitan, utilitarian, libertarian and communitarian EU framings across EU countries during the economic crisis. The results show first that poor economic performances increase the negative dimensions and decrease the positive dimensions of EU framing. Second, high unemployment rates affect the EU framing of high educated citizens to a larger extent, while GDP growth impacts mainly the EU framing of low educated citizens: high unemployment rates are associated with a lower gap and low GDP growth with a larger gap between high and low educated citizens in the way they frame the EU. Third, benefiting from the EU financial stability program increases citizens´ communitarian EU framing and decreases their cosmopolitan understanding of the EU. Lastly, the politicisation of the EU is associated with higher positive EU framing and lower negative evaluation of the EU among citizens.