Feeling European in a globalised world and the role of mobility, networks, and consumption: A comparative approach to British exceptionalism

ABSTRACT

This article rethinks European and global self-identification after the 2008 crash and the rise of populism and nationalism in Europe. Situating ourselves within the tradition of transactionalist theories, we run multinomial logistic regressions using data from the unusually comprehensive EUCROSS survey in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the UK in 2012. We show that mobility, networks, and consumption practices are related to different kinds of national, European, and global identities among our respondents. Britain is distinctive in two ways. First, network and consumption practices induce a greater variation among British citizens in affecting their supranational feelings. Second, Britain sees a clearer differentiation between the forces of globalisation and Europeanisation. We conclude that the British are not, in any obvious ways, more nationalist than other nations, but that the strength of their ex-imperial networks means that their supranational identities can take a more anti-European form.

KEYWORDS:

• European identity
• transactionalism
• globalisation
• Europeanisation
• consumption practices

Acknowledgements

Thanks to comments by Adrian Favell, Simon Hix, Aaron Reeves and Céline Teney for their critically constructive comments as well as all members of the EUCROSS team for their support (especially Ettore Rechi and Juan Díez Medrano). This publication uses data from the EUCROSS project which was funded as part of the EC’s 7th Framework Programme (grant agreement: 266767).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. http://www.obets.ua.es/pioneur/, retrieved on 4 August 2015.

2. http://www.ibei.org/projects/eumarr/, retrieved on 4 August 2015.

3. Interestingly, both Lizardo’s and Rössel and Schroedter’s papers used the variables of identification as predictors of cultural consumption. Yet, and although the relationship is bidirectional in the life course, a detour by cognitive sociology (Vaisey, 2009) could suggest that consumption practices constitute the first practical contact with and knowledge of diversity which would possibly foster a more discursive vision of oneself as feeling European or citizen of the world.

4. http://www.eucross.eu/cms/, retrieved on 4 August 2015.

5. Smith (2016).

6. Multiple imputations (based on linear regressions) were used to deal with a high number of missing values in the model. Five imputations were used. Friends in and out of the EU, World music, Traditional EU music were predicted. The data are also weighted.

7. To be able to fully assess the role of each variable within the different countries, we decided to run a regression in each country, instead of using interactions. Plus, it appears to us that it was also the most appropriate choice given the relatively small sample size for the number of variables. We were able to control that, for each country investigated, the number of cases by category of answer was adequate.

8. The associated significant odds ratio needs to be interpreted with caution then.

9. In Germany being familiar with the EU is related to feeling citizen of the world and not European (1.317, p value < 0.05, 95%CI: 1.057–1.642) and to feeling both (odds ratio = 1.206, p value < 0.05, 95%CI: 1.029–1.413), compared to feeling neither. In Denmark, familiarity with European countries is also associated with feeling citizen of the world not European (1.323, p value < 0.05, 95%CI: 1.004–1.743), feeling European and not citizen of the world (1.332, p value = 0.001, 95%CI: 1.122–1.581) and feeling both global and European (odds ratio = 1.350, p value < 0.001, 95%CI: 1.150–1.584). In Italy, although the model explains up to 21% of variation, most variables are insignificant. Being a member of an association oriented towards other cultures, making trips inside the EU and a taste for traditional European music increase the odds of feeling European and citizen of the world, compared to feeling neither. Age has also a positive role, illustrating the fact that young people may have been socialised in a context less favourable to the EU than their parents, in light of growing Euroscepticism (Serricchio, 2012).

10. http://globalization.kof.ethz.ch/media/filer_public/2015/03/04/rankings_2015.pdf, retrieved on 4 August 2015.