A zweckrational solidaristic space? A comparative appraisal of determinants of individual support for European solidarity in the (post-)COVID era

The current COVID-19 pandemic created profound shockwaves across the Union, pushing the pandemic to the forefront of European politics and fostering an unprecedented step-up in European solidarity. This development lends pertinence to an appraisal of the main determinants underlying individual support for European redistribution and its implications to the political basis sustaining supranational solidarity. In the new pandemic context, using an original dataset and employing a linear regression analysis, this paper comparatively assesses ideal-type theories on determinants of individual solidarity support. First, I contend individuals reason in supranational terms as key political attitudes driving individual support for cross-border redistribution are informed directly at the supranational level, consubstantiating the claim that European redistribution operates as a distinct legitimate space for solidarity in its own right. Second, I argue that the substantive motivations behind support for solidarity typically reflect utilitarian expectations highlighting perceptions of net benefit/loss from European redistribution. The final section will interpret these findings in light of the supranational response to the pandemic and its potential ramifications on the future of European solidarity.