Religion and youth support for the European Union

Abstract:

Religion is an important influence on adult attitudes toward European integration, as devout Catholics strongly support integration, while committed Protestants are less enthusiastic. Here we consider whether this relationship holds for reputedly secularised European youth. Using Eurobarometer 47.2OVR, we show that devout Catholic and Orthodox youth do in fact support the European Union, as do committed Protestants, and generically religious youths, but at lower levels. Atheists and agnostics are more critical of the EU. High levels of social capital and pro-immigration sentiments also predict euro-enthusiasm. We conclude by analysing the variation in youth attitudes across Member States.