EU affiliation among citizens has grown since 2013.
The European Union faced numerous challenges such as the Euro crisis, Corona pandemic, and the Ukrainian war, yet the citizens' attachment to the EU increased since 2013, as per a study conducted by the University of Saarland and Philipps University of Marburg.
An analysis of data collected from 600,000 individuals across all 27 EU countries was conducted, yielding results from the "Eurobarometer" survey conducted between 1991 and 2023. The individuals were asked to rate their connection to the EU on a scale of 1 to 4.
The research found that crises like the Corona pandemic and the Ukrainian war have bolstered unity within the EU, irrespective of generations or age groups. Contrary to the belief that younger EU citizens would feel more connected due to growing up in a more integrated union, the sense of attachment has also increased among other age groups.
The euro and state debt crisis, initially, had a detrimental effect on people's perception of connection. However, a favourable trend emerged post-2013.
One potential reason for this could be that Corona and the Ukrainian war have not driven a wedge between EU nations but instead brought them together against a common "external enemy." This study has been published in The Journal of European Public Policy.
