A Solidarity Bias? Assessing the Effects of Individual Transnationalism on Social Solidarity in the EU

In this paper we test the association between cross-border virtual and physical experiences with attitudes toward various forms of social solidarity. Conceptually, we distinguish between mobility-related and generic solidarity. We further subdivide the former by looking at respondents’ welfare chauvinistic attitudes vis-à-vis intra-EU mobile citizens and extra-EU immigrants. We draw on original public opinion survey data collected by the REScEU project after the last European Parliament elections in 10 EU countries (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Poland, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) to investigate these differences in specific versus diffuse forms of social solidarity filtered through the experience of transnationalism. We find that transnationalism fosters a specific type of mobility-related solidarity. In particular, transnationalism plays a positive effect on acceptance of foreigners into the domestic welfare system regardless whether they are EU or third country nationals. We further note that transnationalism is not associated with a generic attitude towards solidarity, that is, support for “helping others” in the abstract.