Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy > Vol 2 > Issue 1

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Support for European Integration: Evidence from Germany

Jay N. Krehbiel, Department of Political Science, West Virginia University, USA, jay.krehbiel@mail.wvu.edu , Sivaram Cheruvu, Department of Political Science, Emory University, USA, sivaram.cheruvu@emory.edu
 
Suggested Citation
Jay N. Krehbiel and Sivaram Cheruvu (2021), "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Support for European Integration: Evidence from Germany", Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy: Vol. 2: No. 1, pp 63-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/113.00000030

Publication Date: 11 Mar 2021
© 2021 J. N. Krehbiel and S. Cheruvu
 
Subjects
Public opinion,  Political economy,  International organization,  European politics,  Comparative politics
 
Keywords
European UnionEuropean integrationpublic opinionCOVID-19 pandemic
 

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In this article:
Determinants of Public Support for European Integration 
Data and Methodology 
Results 
Conclusion 
References 

Abstract

The European Union increasingly relies on the willingness of citizens to support the delegation of authority from their national governments to European institutions. Major policy crises have the ability to profoundly shape public support and opposition to greater European integration. In this article, we consider the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for public support of greater European integration. We build on the utilitarian approaches to develop an account of the pandemic's implications for citizens' views on the need for more EU-level policy making. We contend that higher levels of concern for COVID-19 correspond to higher support for further European integration. We then go on to argue that this relationship is conditioned by ideology. We find support for our hypotheses using a nationally-representative survey of 4400 German respondents fielded in April and May 2020.

DOI:10.1561/113.00000030

Online Appendix | 113.00000030_app.pdf

This is the article's accompanying appendix.

DOI: 10.1561/113.00000030_app

Companion

Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, Volume 2, Issue 1 Special issue - The Political Economy of Pandemics, Part II
See the other articles that are part of this special issue.