Abstract

Following a period of increased politicisation and contestation within the European Union (EU), the most recent European Parliament (EP) elections were accompanied by higher voter turnout. In line with this growing interest in EU-level political participation, scholarly literature illustrates that, despite the second-order nature of European elections still being prevalent, more recent rounds have been indeed more European contests.

Accordingly, the politicisation of European integration seems to be showing its consequences at the electoral level. However, the exact mechanisms at play here remain an open empirical question. Does the politicisation of European integration directly increase turnout? Or is the mobilisation effect moderated by how citizens perceive EU politics? Against this backdrop, our main objective is to analyse the complex relationship between the politicisation of European integration and electoral participation in the context of the 2019 and 2024 EP elections.

To address this issue, we use data from the 2019 and 2024 Eurobarometer post-electoral survey for the 27 EU member states. Our findings show that politicisation does not matter directly for electoral participation but via citizens’ political Europeanness. Accordingly, we can observe signs for a European ‘demos’ in these politicized times.

Individual meetings with Prof. Braun

Prof Braun is curious to hear more about the work by junior researchers at ACES. On 17 March, PhD and postdoc researchers affiliated with ACES will therefore have the opportunity to meet Prof Braun to discuss their research with her. We plan for several 30-mins slots in the morning. To sign up, please send an email to aces@uva.nl by 1 March, indicating your availability that morning.