Europe Bottom-Up: How Eastern Germans and Poles Frame the European Union

How do citizens rate the EU? Social scientists usually try to answer this question by using large-scale survey data. In contrast, this study follows qualitative approaches and analyzes the interaction between national discourses and individual EU-perceptions from a constructivist perspective. The empirical analysis is based on semi-standardized interviews with participants from different social milieus in Eastern Germany and Poland. Conducting among others Qualitative Comparative Analysis, the study demonstrates that national interpretative schemes or frames influence individual EU perceptions and EU attitudes. In this context, current debates and historical frames turn out to be more important than the previous socialist regime and the subsequent transformation process. At the same time, the frames’ impact is mediated by citizens’ personal capacities and experiences. Accordingly, not only national context, but also social milieu influence citizens’ evaluations of the EU.