04/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/26/2024 02:54
This report investigates the political dimensions of social cohesion in Europe, offering a 20-year perspective derived from 10 rounds of the European Social Survey. It scrutinises trends and regional variations in political participation, examining correlations with levels of institutional distrust and discontent. In addition, the report explores political engagement amid the COVID-19 pandemic, utilising insights from the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey. Unemployment emerges as the primary driver of political disengagement, a pivotal finding of the analysis.
Furthermore, the report uncovers significant disparities in political engagement across European regions. Regions with well-educated populations tend to exhibit higher levels of political activity, and economic prosperity and migration rates have only a modest influence on political activity.
The report also highlights the variation in institutional distrust across regions. Nordic countries display markedly lower levels of distrust in their institutions than continental countries, whereas in eastern European and Mediterranean countries levels are markedly higher.
The political dimension of social cohesion in Europe
English(3.23 MB - PDF)
EU citizens tend to be actively involved in democratic processes, which is a sign of engaged citizenship. Interestingly, Eurofound research shows that over the past two decades citizen engagement appears to increase, particularly after crises.
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Despite clear country variations, it appears that over the past 20 years, there has been a convergence between regions with higher and lower political participation in Europe. In particular, regions with lower levels of participation are moving closer to the levels observed in high-performing regions.
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Discontent - expressed in terms of institutional trust and reported satisfaction with public institutions (two strongly correlated measures) - increases during times of hardship, such as the financial crises of 2007-2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. And there are important regional differences. Discontent in Nordic and continental European countries and Ireland remained low and constant from 2003 to 2020, with a slight rise from 2010. Italy and Spain, in contrast, experienced increasing discontent from 2002 onwards.
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The study finds a positive relationship between discontent and non-voting. Thus, discontent is expressed through lower rates of voting, whereas higher levels of protesting are found when discontent is low. However, this relationship becomes weaker when geographical and socioeconomic control variables are considered.
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In the past two decades, Europe has faced a series of challenges. The 2007-2008 financial crisis, which led to an economic recession and austerity, was followed by the European debt crisis in 2010, a migration crisis in 2015 and the Brexit referendum in 2016. More recently, Europe was hit by COVID-19, the worst pandemic since the Spanish flu, and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has resulted in a severe inflation crisis. In addition, important structural changes are ongoing: the population is ageing rapidly, challenging our social security systems and intergenerational solidarity; rapid digitalisation is changing labour markets; and the consequences of global warming are now starting to be felt on the European continent. Given these challenges, policymakers have begun worrying about the social relations that hold the EU together, partly because of the recent increase in political polarisation, the weakening of social cohesion and the increase in discontent with institutions across Europe.
Against this backdrop, it is important to investigate whether people who choose not to participate in the political process are more likely to express distrust in institutions. Are certain countries more likely to express dissatisfaction through stronger political activities? Do cohesive societies enable a climate of trust and participation? As social cohesion is characterised by togetherness, resilience and a focus on the common good, how does it affect political participation? Focusing on the political dimensions of social cohesion, this report demonstrates how social cohesion has evolved in Europe and, in particular, how political participation is directly related to the legitimacy of political institutions.
Social cohesion is a challenging concept to define, but it is associated with strong social trust, well-functioning communities, political participation, engagement and social inclusion. Social cohesion comes with improving social trust, which is associated with high economic prosperity, low inequality and low corruption. The political dimensions of social cohesion include institutional legitimacy (how much citizens trust and approve of institutions) and citizens' political participation. Therefore, stronger cohesion is expressed through stronger institutional trust, which is important for a healthy functioning of democracy and hence fundamental to the EU, and citizens being politically engaged.
The onset of austerity after the 2007-2009 financial crisis was interpreted by many as an institutional failure, worsening the public's perception of politicians' management of public finances and their integrity. Globalisation has disrupted traditional industries in many European countries. In this new political landscape, many populists leveraged the increase in migration flows partly generated by the refugee crisis triggered by the conflict in Syria in 2015.
It is clear that the consequences of these crises have differed across the EU Member States. For instance, the austerity following the 2007-2008 financial crisis was far worse for some countries than for others. Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain experienced a dramatic surge in youth unemployment, and any reversal in that trend was hampered by the subsequent European debt crisis. Other countries, for example the Nordic countries, fared considerably better.
It is also clear that the crises have had different impacts on social cohesion. The economic recession of 2008 was different from the COVID-19 pandemic because blame attribution differed and these crises did not affect the same social strata of the European population.
Over the past two decades, Europe has seen a rise in political polarisation and populism, a trend that manifests, in part, through anti-establishment attitudes and, in some cases, a drift towards authoritarian rule. Several indicators suggest that trust in national establishments and institutions has eroded, which is usually accompanied by increased discontent.
The political dimension of social cohesion in Europe
English(50.77 KB - PDF)The report contains the following lists of tables and figures.
Cite this publication
Eurofound (2024), The political dimension of social cohesion in Europe, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.