Italy and the European Union: how do young Italians see this relationship?
Mereo, Federica
Mereo, Federica
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Abstract
This senior thesis is the result of a lack of knowledge regarding the public opinions about the EU of specific groups of people. Since the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, the European Union has seen its role in the domestic affairs of the Member States significantly increased. It now has a voice in several sectors of domestic policies, such as economy, education, and the health system, through directives and regulations that aim at guaranteeing some common standards in all member states. The ultimate target of this institution is the EU citizen. Regardless of their nationality, EU citizens have common rights deriving from their state’smembership to the EU. Therefore, the way in which the EU is perceived by the public opinion is of significant importance for understanding how much citizens approve the EU’s modus operandi. Because of this, the European Commission has established a yardstick to measure how citizens perceive the EU, i.e. the Eurobarometer. Since 1973, the EC has conducted surveys in all the member states in order to measure if people in each country were led toward a positive consideration of the EU, or if they were opposing it, thus being Eurosceptic. The main problem with the Eurobarometer - and cause and driver of this thesis - is the consideration of the public opinion of a nation as a whole, without differentiation for age or economic group. The EB has showed the public perceptions about the EU by Italians throughout four decades without subdividing the population into specific groups. Moreover, there is the absence of an analysis about the forces driving the different opinions. What if Italian young people are completely Eurosceptic, or women are all pro-EU? What if the choice of a job or the education path completed does determine a specific attitude toward the EU? The aim of this thesis is to understand if Italian young people (20-30 years) are Eurosceptic and if the theory of domestic proxies by Christopher Anderson can explain their attitude.
Description
Thesis (B.A. in International Affairs, Minor in Economics)--John Cabot University, Spring 2015.
Date
2015
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Keywords
Public opinion, European Union countries
Citation
Mereo, Federica,. "Italy and the European Union: how do young Italians see this relationship?". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2015.