Different meaning attributions as important predictors of trust in the European Union

OpenAlex English

EU is facing a new trust crisis and it is imperative to uncover the factors affecting trust and distrust in the EU more than ever. Building upon the existing literature, the main contribution of this study is to include novel individual level variables such as EU meaning items with an underutilized method. Using binary logistic regression analysis with Eurobarometer 98.2 dataset, the study finds that meanings people associate with the EU are robust predictors of trust or distrust, alongside well documented factors in the literature such as; the logic of extrapolation, sociotropic and egocentric economic factors and demographic variables.