Losing Faith: Religion and Attitudes toward the European Union in Uncertain Times

Abstract:

This paper explores the changing role of religion in forming public attitudes toward integration. We first outline the complex relationship of religion to the development of the European Union, and then use the 2009 and 2014 European Parliamentary Election Studies to examine the changes taking place in those historic patterns.

In 2009 traditional religious patterns persisted, with Catholics more positive toward the EU than Protestants, with religiosity reinforcing the respective tendencies. By 2014, however, traditional divisions had virtually disappeared, as the economic crisis (and perhaps the growing refugee problem) had a powerful effect on Catholic majorities in EU countries. Nevertheless, when economic and other assessments are accounted for, Catholic confessional culture still provides ‘deep’ support for the EU. Finally, we discover that EU expansion has not changed old religious patterns as much as we expected, but find those traditional relationships to be virtually absent among millennials.