Introducing a latent measure of EU Identity across time and countries

Many theoretical contributions on European identity formation assume that early steps of European integration have led to a gradual increase in European identification. However, these expectations are hard to test empirically as existing quantitative research on over-time identity change in the EU is limited to analyses of a single survey item that has only been asked from 1992 onwards. Since crucial steps in EU integration took place before 1992, we cannot properly analyse the mutual impact of institution building and identity formation over time. Moreover, such a crude operationalization of a complex phenomenon has only limited reliability. Hence, we introduce a new measure for European identity, utilizing a Bayesian latent trait model to combine various survey sources from 34 countries over a period of 41 years. This approach addresses the issue of inconsistency and variation in measures of European identification, as well as potential biases such as differences in question phrasing and translation. It allows an entirely new longitudinal perspective on European Identity. The analyses made possible by this new perspective have the potential to be a significant step forward in our understanding of important macro mechanisms such as the relationship between European institution building and collective identities. It lays the groundwork for future research to examine the causality of the institution-identity link.