^aSchool of Education, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that in Britain older, less educated and working class voters tend to be less supportive of Europe than the young, educated and middle class. This research examines the sociological and psychological influences on opinions towards the European Union (EU) over time in Britain. It builds on existing insights from both single-country and cross-national studies of the sources of support for the EU and examines the main theoretical approaches based on interests, identities and domestic politics. It uses six BES cross-section surveys, binomial logistic regression and a multi-stage causal model for the period 1983–2005 to assess the apparent impact of a range of variables on public support for Europe. This enables estimation of the total and indirect effect for each explanatory variable and provides a more detailed and comprehensive review of the causes of opinion on the European issue. As the analysis covers a period of over two decades, it is also able to gauge whether the factors underpinning support or opposition for the EU have changed over time.