Transforming public opinion about European integration: Elite influence and its limits

Abstract:

This article shows that political elites can use political explanations to transform public opinion about European integration. It also finds that concentric group affiliation based on self-categorization as a member of the nation and Europe impedes elite influence, while individuals with exclusive affiliations are more easily persuaded to change their opinions on European integration. I conduct a laboratory experiment to test my theoretical expectations. By investigating elite influence and its interaction with identity, the article addresses conflicting perspectives on the transformation of public opinion in prior research: one approach proposes that integration attitudes are anchored in individual dispositions and thus relatively stable, while another argument emphasizes the capacity of elites to induce attitude change. A comparison with utilitarian considerations and political sophistication shows that no other disposition imposes more robust limits on elite influence than a concentric group affiliation, and none triggers greater susceptibility to persuasion than an exclusive identity.