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Rallying around the EU Flag: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Attitudes toward European Integration

Author

Listed:
  • Nils Steiner
  • Ruxanda Berlinschi
  • Etienne Farvaque
  • Jan Fidrmuc
  • Philipp Harms
  • Alexander Mihailov
  • Michael Neugart
  • Piotr Stanek

Abstract

This paper uses a survey among students at European universities to explore whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected attitudes toward European integration. Some respondents completed the survey just before Russia’s assault on February 24, 2022, and some did so just afterwards, thus delivering a quasi-experimental design situation, which we exploit. Our results suggest that the ominous news about the Russian attack increased the participants’ interest in EU politics, consolidated their attachment to the EU, and made them more mindful and appreciative of the benefits of deeper European integration. In effect, the war so close to the EU Eastern border provoked a rally around the supranational EU flag, with convergence of public opinion toward shared European values.

Suggested Citation

  • Nils Steiner & Ruxanda Berlinschi & Etienne Farvaque & Jan Fidrmuc & Philipp Harms & Alexander Mihailov & Michael Neugart & Piotr Stanek, 2022. "Rallying around the EU Flag: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Attitudes toward European Integration," CESifo Working Paper Series 9883, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9883
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lena Dräger & Klaus Gründler & Niklas Potrafke, 2022. "Political Shocks and Inflation Expectations: Evidence from the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine," ifo Working Paper Series 371, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
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    3. Hale, Henry E., 2022. "Authoritarian Rallying as Reputational Cascade? Evidence from Putin’s Popularity Surge after Crimea," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 116(2), pages 580-594, May.
    4. Sara B. Hobolt, 2012. "Citizen Satisfaction with Democracy in the European Union," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(S1), pages 88-105, March.
    5. Theresa Kuhn, 2012. "Why Educational Exchange Programmes Miss Their Mark: Cross-Border Mobility, Education and European Identity," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(6), pages 994-1010, November.
    6. Dräger, Lena & Gründler, Klaus & Potrafke, Niklas, 2025. "Political shocks and inflation expectations: Evidence from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    7. De Vries, Catherine E. & Bakker, Bert N. & Hobolt, Sara B. & Arceneaux, Kevin, 2021. "Crisis signaling: how Italy's coronavirus lockdown affected incumbent support in other European countries," Political Science Research and Methods, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(3), pages 451-467, July.
    8. Giani, Marco & Méon, Pierre-Guillaume, 2021. "Global Racist Contagion Following Donald Trump's Election," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(3), pages 1332-1339, July.
    9. André Freire & Eftichia Teperoglou & Catherine Moury, 2014. "Awakening the Sleeping Giant in Greece and Portugal? Elites' and Voters' Attitudes towards EU Integration in Difficult Economic Times," South European Society and Politics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 477-499, October.
    10. Jerg Gutmann & Hans Pitlik & Andrea Fronaschütz, 2023. "Has the Russian invasion of Ukraine reinforced anti-globalization sentiment in Austria?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 50(2), pages 289-299, May.
    11. Kai Gehring, 2022. "Can External Threats Foster a European Union Identity? Evidence from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(644), pages 1489-1516.
    12. Julie Hassing Nielsen, 2016. "Personality and Euroscepticism: The Impact of Personality on Attitudes Towards the EU," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(5), pages 1175-1198, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jerg Gutmann & Hans Pitlik & Andrea Fronaschütz, 2023. "Has the Russian invasion of Ukraine reinforced anti-globalization sentiment in Austria?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 50(2), pages 289-299, May.
    2. Mihai Alexandrescu, 2024. "Beyond Geopolitics: Unraveling Public Support for Economic Sanctions in the B9 States at the Beginning of the Ukrainian War (2022)," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(3), pages 21582440241, August.
    3. Liesbet Hooghe & Gary Marks & Ryan Bakker & Seth Jolly & Jonathan Polk & Jan Rovny & Marco Steenbergen & Milada Anna Vachudova, 2024. "The Russian threat and the consolidation of the West: How populism and EU-skepticism shape party support for Ukraine," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(3), pages 459-482, September.
    4. Maria Hierro & Adolfo Maza, 2024. "A Capacity‐Based Approach for Assessing Changes in Responsibility Sharing in the EU: Comparing the Syrian and Ukrainian Refugee Crises," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(6), pages 1734-1746, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    European integration; EU attitudes; external threat; rally around the flag; Ukraine; Russia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration
    • F50 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - General
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy

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