Since the mid-1980s, European integration has entered a phase of acceleration, which leads the European Union to establish itself as a full-fledged political space whose prerogatives and interventions become more and more palpable at the domestic level. The consequences of European integration are increasingly visible and have reached a peak since the beginning of the current financial and debt crisis, which results in austerity measures and budgets being decided in accordance with European institutions. Integration has thus generated popular criticism and resistance and studying the level, dynamics and determinants of public opinion has become crucial for both normative and empirical reasons.
However, comparing systematically the climate of public opinion towards European integration over a long period of time is not an easy task, given the scarcity, the heterogenity and the dispersion of international surveys. This paper shows how we have overcomed this obstacle by constructing a public mood indicator, as developed by James Stimson. Originally designed in order to capture public preferences over long periods of time in one country when faced with a heterogenous dataset, this indicator has also considerable advantages for comparing attitudes across countries.
The paper first offers an overview of the available data for measuring attitudes towards European integration and illustrates the existing bias linked to nation-specific receptions of some questions. We then detail the steps for constructing a longitudinal and comparative indicator of « European mood » covering the EU-15 member states between 1986 and 2012. The resulting indicator provides a differentiated picture of how EU support has evolved in the recent crisis, and puts these developments into long-term perspective. We interpret variations in terms of collective identities, interests and national historical trajectories. The conclusive section emphasizes research perspectives opened by the existence of a « European mood » indicator and identifies some limitations.
