Citizens’ Perceptions of EU responsibility and Electoral Participation: Is the Glass Half-Full or Half Empty?

Le Gall, Cal;Van Ingelgom, Virginie;Dupuy, Claire
(2022) European Union Studies Association — Location: Miami (19.May.2022)

Files

LeGall_VanIngelgom_Dupuy_EUResponsibility_turnout_EUSA.pdf
  • Restricted Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 500.83 KB
Request a copy

Details

Authors
Abstract
How do citizens’ perceptions of EU responsibility affect electoral participation? On the one hand, the multilevel governance model indicates that perceiving the EU as being in charge (attribution of responsibility to EU) should foster participation in EU elections. On the other hand, other scholarships suggest that if the EU is perceived as a constraint (constraints stemming for EU responsibility), it should depreciate beliefs in the value of voting, while it could also provide incentives not to vote in national and EU elections. Yet, no study has examined empirically the effects of citizens’ perceptions of EU responsibility on electoral participation and the mechanisms underpinning them at the individual level. Using an original dataset in the first European elections following the EU sovereign debt crisis (CED-EU14), we show that both perceptions of the EU responsibility – attribution or constraint – do not affect turnout and beliefs in the value of voting similarly. First, perceiving the EU as being in charge does not alter beliefs in the value of voting but depresses turnout. Second, perceiving the EU as a constraint alters beliefs in the value of voting, but does not affect national turnout. Interestingly, perceptions of constraint – both stemming from the EU as well as from globalization – decrease turnout in European elections. Our paper contributes to the literature on the EU democratic deficit and more broadly on citizens’ detachment to democracy.
Affiliations

Citations

  • APA
  • Chicago
  • FWB

Le Gall, C., Van Ingelgom, V., & Dupuy, C. (2022). Citizens’ Perceptions of EU responsibility and Electoral Participation: Is the Glass Half-Full or Half Empty? European Union Studies Association, Miami. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/102479