European – moi?

This was the recent subject of both a comprehensive international research study that Lansons sister company Opinium undertook on behalf of their client, the London School of Economics, as well as a special debate on European identity held in the House of Lords.

As we sit today in the maelstrom of a political and economic storm called the Eurozone crisis the research and the debate could not have been more apposite. In Britain, which I know more about than other European countries, the ‘man in the pub’ analysis is often the best way to understand the polarity of views on subjects like this. If you were to ask the stereotypical man in the pub today whether they felt European, I think that the answer would be influenced by their sense of personal identity first (ie where they are from) and clouded second by their view of the Euro storm. Ask that same person their feelings after a return from a holiday to the ‘Continent’ (ie Europe) then often you find the answers are different, and tempered by a closer first-hand association with whatever country was explored. And yes, they may even have more of a sympathy with their fellow Europeans based on this experience.

The view from Britain on such things as identity is shaped by the media, it is argued. In this the media typifies British views mostly as either anti-Europe or Euro-sceptic , rarely as pro-Europe. The mainly centre right British press reinforce this stereotypical view by citing politicians in favour or against as evidence that most of Britain doesn’t want to be in Europe/part of the Euro/run by Brussels (or whichever is the current focus).

I think that may be partially accurate but misses the really interesting point which the research illustrates. The Opinium/LSE research, conducted over all 27 member states across three years found that the British are not as sceptical of Europe as its media would have it. In fact more than half of UK responses to the question on ‘how European do you feel’, scored 5 or above on a ten-point scale of self-perceived European identity. The most pro-European countries scored an average of just over 7, so the UK is in step with other European neighbours in having some self-perceived sense of European identity. This is encouraging, I think, and is reinforced too by the research conclusions that European identity goes hand in hand with national and sub-national (like the Scousers and Catalans above) who are likely to feel equally European as they do English or Spanish.

The final point about European identity that this research found is also telling for the current debate on the Eurozone crisis. And that is about age and education. The research finds that the younger and more educated a citizen, so the more European they tend to feel irrespective of income, gender or social class. So while the current baby boom generation of European politicians predict the beginning of the end of the European ‘project’, and in particular the Euro, their children or children’s children could not feel more warmer towards Europe, or feeling European.