^aSchool of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. E-mail: lauren.mclaren@nottingham.ac.uk

Abstract

This paper tests several hypotheses on mass-level Euroscepticism, including whether it is driven by: (a) feelings about national institutions, (b) distrust of supra-national institutions, (c) fears about the loss of national identity, and (d) personal interest-based utilitarianism. In contrast to prior research, I find that attitudes to European integration appear driven by feelings about EU institutions rather than attitudes to national institutions. Furthermore, a perceptual measure of utilitarianism appears to be a stronger predictor of support for European integration and European institutions than previous analyses have claimed. But I also find that, consistent with past research, exclusive national identity biases Europeans against European integration. Finally, the paper investigates the causal linkages across these key constructs.