EMU Politics Redefined? Comparing national shifts in public attitudes towards the Euro (2004–2021)

Views towards the Euro are often treated as a by-product of EU attitudes, rising and falling with ‘rally-around-the-flag’ effects, triggered by shocks such as Brexit, geopolitical tensions, or changes in macroeconomic conditions. Yet, at the individual level, the link between EU support and euro support is modest at best and varies dramatically across countries. How, then, can we account for shifts in euro attitudes among EU citizens exposed to similar shocks, yet embedded in markedly different national contexts? Drawing on harmonized Eurobarometer data from 2004 to 2021, this article tracks how attitudes towards the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) have evolved in euro-area countries by spotlighting change across the ideological spectrum. Three recurring trajectories emerge from this approach: In a first cluster, support rose across ideological groups (Greece, Spain, Slovakia). In a second, gains disproportionately occurred among radical left voters (Finland, Germany, Portugal). In a third, smaller group, the EMU’s popularity declined, with a marked shift among radical-right individuals (Austria, Luxembourg, or Italy). To explain these differences, this paper proposes a multi-lens account of EMU legitimacy. Moving beyond ‘single lens’ approaches, it suggests that utility, identity, and ideology provide distinct - yet complementary - leverage to apprehend euro attitudes across diverse groups of countries. Concretely, broad-based shifts seemed to reflect utilitarian attitudes where countries’ economic interests were at stake; left-concentrated increases rather reflect ideological realignment linked to a perceived change in EMU policy orientation; right-concentrated declines finally echoed identitarian resistance rooted in sovereignty concerns. These dynamics are illustrated through case studies of countries chosen as emblematic of each cluster. Focusing on Greece, Finland, and Austria, I show how the micro-level shifts in euro attitudes observed in the survey data were embedded in broader euro narratives that, respectively, emphasised national economic interests, ideological realignment, or identitarian concerns. To conclude, I discuss the political implications of this attitudinal fragmentation and the relevance of these findings for EMU policymaking and research on EU attitudes.