The use of identity-related frames in electoral pledges and its effects on Euroscepticism in France and Germany

Natalia Bogado, Evelyn Bytzek and Melanie C Steffens
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Natalia Bogado: Communication and Media Psychology Institute, 581371Faculty of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
Evelyn Bytzek: Department of Political Sciences, Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences, 38899University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
Melanie C Steffens: Department of Social, Environmental & Economic Psychology, 581371Faculty of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany

European Union Politics, 2023, vol. 24, issue 3, 516-538

Abstract: National identification strength is a key Euroscepticism driver. We examine how politicians’ framing of immigration policies increases the salience of different national identity representations and its relationship with support for the European Union (EU) in a two-waves between-subject survey-experiment using French and German samples. As predicted, exposure to assimilation frames (directly for the French sample or via frame perception for both samples) increased the salience of ethnocultural national identity representations. Additionally, as hypothesised, higher ethnocultural representations salience following assimilation frames exposure was related to higher Euroscepticism. However, feeling emotionally attached to the EU reduced this negative impact of ethnocultural national identity representations on EU attitudes. We discuss the role of ethnocultural nationalism in Euroscepticism and the importance of fostering stronger emotional ties to the EU.

Keywords: European Union; Euroscepticism; framing effects; national identity representations; political communication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:24:y:2023:i:3:p:516-538

DOI: 10.1177/14651165231152378

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