Abstract
When citizens in Europe embrace or reject further integration by means of national referendums, popular and scholarly debate usually emerges in the wake of these referendums to make sense of the endorsement or the rejection. Both popular and scholarly accounts offer a variety of often contradictory explanations and interpretations of referendum outcomes. This chapter contends that there is something inherent and rather natural to the plethora of explanations. We suggest that it is logical that some explanations fare less well than others, that the importance of explanations differs by context and evolves over time, and that new explanations enter the marketplace of ideas. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential for campaigns to increase or reduce the relevance of different explanatory factors.
This chapter builds on our article in European Union Politics (de Vreese and Boomgaarden, 2005).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson, C. J. (1998) ‘When in Doubt use Proxies: Attitudes to Domestic Politics and Support for the EU’, Comparative Political Studies, 31: 569–601.
Anderson, C. J. and M. S. Reichert (1996) ‘Economic Benefits and Support for Membership in the European Union: A Cross-National Analysis’, Journal of Public Policy, 15(3): 231–49.
Belli, R. F., M. W. Traugott, M. Young and K. A. McGonagle (1999) ‘Reducing Vote Over-reporting in Surveys: Social Desirability, Memory Failure and Source Monitoring’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 63: 90–108.
Billiet, J. and H. de Witte (1995) ‘Attitudinal Dispositions to Vote for a “New” Extreme Right-Wing Party: the Case of VB’, European Journal of Political Research, 27: 181–202.
Brug, W. van der and M. Fennema (2003) ‘Protest or Mainstream? How the European Anti-immigration Parties Developed into Two Separate Groups by 1999’, European Journal of Political Research, 42: 55–76.
Brug, W. van der, M. Fennema and J. Tillie (2000) ‘Anti-Immigrant Parties in Europe: Ideological or Protest Vote’, European Journal of Political Research, 37: 77–102.
Carey, S. (2002) ‘Undivided Loyalties: Is National Identity an Obstacle to European Integration?’, European Union Politics, 3: 387–413.
Christin, T. and A. H. Trechsel (2002) ‘Joining the EU? Explaining Public Opinion in Switzerland’, European Union Politics, 3: 415–43.
Fennema, M. (1997) ‘Some Conceptual Issues and Problems in the Comparison of anti-Immigration Parties in Western Europe’, Party Politics, 3: 473–92.
Franklin, M., C. van der Eijk and M. Marsh (1995) ‘Referendum Outcome and Trust in Government: Public Support for Europe in the Wake of Maastricht’, West European Politics, 18: 101–7.
Franklin, M., M. Marsh and C. Wlezien (1994) ‘Attitudes Toward Europe and Referendum Votes: a Response to Siune and Svensson’, Electoral Studies, 13: 117–21.
Gabel, M. (1998a) ‘Public Support for European Integration: an Empirical Test of Five Theories’, Journal of Politics, 60: 333–54.
Gabel, M. (1998b) Interest and Integration: Market Liberalization, Public Opinion, and European Union (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press).
Gabel, M. and H. Palmer (1995) ‘Understanding Variation in Public Support for European Integration’, European Journal of Political Research, 27: 3–19.
Hooghe, L. and G. Marks (2005) ‘Calculation, Community and Cues: Public Opinion on European Integration’, European Union Politics, 6(4): 419–43.
Hug, S. (2003) Voices of Europe: Citizens, Referendums and European Integration (Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers).
Inglehart, R. (1970) ‘Cognitive Mobilization and European Identity’, Comparative Politics, 3: 45–70.
Inglehart, R. (1977) The Silent Revolution (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
Inglehart, R. (1990) Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Societies (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
Kritzinger, S. (2003) ‘The Influence of the Nation-state on Individual Support for the European Union’, European Union Politics, 4: 219–1.
Lubbers, M., M. Gijsberts and P. Scheepers (2002) ‘Extreme Right-wing Voting in Western Europe’, European Journal of Political Research, 41: 345–78.
Marks, G. and L. Hooghe (2003) ‘National Identity and Support for European Integration’, discussion paper SP IV 2003–202 (Berlin: Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fuer Sozialforschung (WZB)).
McLaren, L. M. (2002) ‘Public Support for the European Union: Cost/benefit Analysis or Perceived Cultural Threat?’, Journal of Politics, 64: 551–66.
Nelsen, B. F. and J. L. Guth (2000) ‘Exploring the Gender Gap: Women, Men, and Public Attitudes Toward European Integration’, European Union Politics, 1(3): 267–91.
Ray, L. (2003) ‘Reconsidering the Link between Incumbent Support and Pro-EU Opinion’, European Union Politics, 4: 259–79.
Sánchez-Cuenca, I. (2000) ‘The Political Basis for Support for European Integration’, European Union Politics, 1: 147–72.
Siune, K. and P. Svensson (1993) ‘The Danes and the Maastricht Treaty: The Danish EC Referendum of June 1992’, Electoral Studies, 12(2): 99–111.
Sniderman, P. M., L. Hagendoorn and M. Prior (2004) ‘Predispositional Factors and Situational Triggers: Exclusionary Reactions to Immigrant Minorities’, American Political Science Review, 98 (1): 35–50.
Sniderman, P. M., P. Peri, Rui J. P. de Figueiredo, Jr. and T. Piazza (2000) The outsider: Prejudice and Politics in Italy (Princeton: Princeton University Press).
Svensson, P. (2002) ‘Five Danish Referendums on the European Community and European Union: a Critical Assessment of the Franklin Thesis’, European Journal of Political Research, 41: 733–50.
Vreese, C. H. de (2006) ‘Political Parties in Dire Straits? Consequences of National Referendums for Political Parties,’ Party Politics, 12(5): 581–98.
Vreese, C. H. de and H. G. Boomgaarden (2005) ‘Projecting EU Referendums: Fear of Immigration and Support for European Integration’, European Union Politics, 6(1): 59–82.
Vreese, C. H. de and H. A. Semetko (2004a) Political Campaigning in Referendums: Framing the Referendum Issue (London: Routledge).
Vreese, C. H. de and H. A. Semetko (2004b) ‘News Matters: Influences on the Vote in a Referendum Campaign’, European Journal of Political Research, 43(5): 699–722.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2007 Claes H. de Vreese and Hajo G. Boomgaarden
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
de Vreese, C.H., Boomgaarden, H.G. (2007). Immigration, Identity, Economy and the Government: Understanding Variation in Explanations for Outcomes of EU-related Referendums. In: de Vreese, C.H. (eds) The Dynamics of Referendum Campaigns. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230591189_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230591189_9
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-35549-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-59118-9
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)