Eurovision Song Contest and European Integration: Unveiling the Impact on Public Opinion

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) stands as the preeminent nonsporting live TV event globally, embodying the characteristics of a major media spectacle with integrative potential for its vast audience (Dayan and Katz, 1992, 1998). Existing academic research on the ESC predominantly explores geopolitical implications, bloc voting patterns, nation branding, and the political underpinnings within performances and lyrics (Gauja, 2019). This paper seeks to address a critical gap in the literature by examining the ESC's impact on public opinion, particularly its "integrative effect." Launched in 1956 with the intention of fostering neighborly relations in the aftermath of World War II and transcending nationalistic sentiments in favor of European integration (Della Sala, 2016), the extent of the ESC's influence on audience perceptions of Europe remains largely unexplored. Drawing on data from eight editions of the European Social Survey (2001-2017), this paper assesses the effects of the Eurovision Song Contest, including audience exposure and key events such as a country's debut, hosting, winning, or losing the tournament. Our analysis focuses on a specific indicator of support for the European Union, gauging respondents' perspectives on the potential for further unification. Employing diverse methodological approaches, including regression discontinuity and multilevel techniques, we aim to identify the contest's impact on attitudes toward European unification. Preliminary findings suggest that the celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest exerts positive yet transient effects on support for the EU. Surprisingly, winning the contest appears to have negative effects, albeit similarly ephemeral, particularly among the nationals of the victorious country. This study contributes valuable insights into the nuanced dynamics of the ESC's role in shaping public opinion on European integration, shedding light on both the positive and potentially counterintuitive consequences of this widely celebrated event.