Toward a Liberal Mood? A Multilevel Analysis of Public Support for State in the European Union Between 1990 and 2008

Abstract

This working paper investigates support for state in the European Union cross-nationally and longitudinally using data from the European Values Survey. Analyses are carried out at different levels. At the individual level, we go beyond the opposition between self-interest and symbolic orientations by showing that they both matter and combine to influence statist attitudes. At group level, we assess the issue of parallel opinion moves over time and find uniform, although divided, trends among subpublics. At the country level, we suggest that dynamics of opinion respond to changes in the economic environment, but do not necessarily respond according to a thermostatic model. Our results thus prove relevant for the European case most of the findings previous scholars have highlighted for the American case