Mind the Gap: Southern Exit, Northern Voice and Changing Loyalties since the Euro Crisis

In this article, we examine whether the EU's unequal encroachment on its northern and southern members' core state powers since the Euro crisis – manifested in highly uneven burdens of economic adjustment and the reversal of intra‐EU migration dynamics – has in turn affected individual European identity. Using individual‐level data from Eurobarometer pooled over time, we investigate the micro‐foundations of EU citizens' continued sense of belonging, be it shared (national or EU) or exclusive (national). Though a steady majority of EU citizens continues to identify at least partially as European, we observe a rather puzzling North–South divergence in identity among the young and a widening skills gap overall. We argue that the Euro crisis triggered dynamics of southern exit (through surging South–North migration), northern voice (based on EU adoption of policies preferred in the North) and shifting national versus European loyalties, which may have consequences for the changing nature of European identity research.