National Identity and Political Orientation in Europe

Opposition to the European Union and further European integration is usually regarded as a feature of radical right-wing and left-wing parties. It is commonly assumed that radical right and radical left euroscepticism have different origins and motivations. Traditionally, the radical right is considered to be motivated largely by anti-immigrant sentiments and a fear of identity loss, whereas the radical left is thought to be connected mostly to economic concerns. However, it has been recently argued that nationalism is a focal element driving both radical right-wing and radical left-wing parties to contest European integration. The aim of this study is to examine whether the same pattern can be found at the individual level. It argues that national identity is a common factor motivating both radical right-wing and left-wing citizens to oppose European integration. The data used to test this hypothesis come from the ISSP unit on National Identity (2013).