The dual nature of European identity: subjective awareness and coherence

Abstract: We conceptualize European identity as a dual concept (subjective awareness and coherence) that contains both perceptual and behavioral components. We provide a set of indicators for European identity and analyze the data to assess changes in European identity over the last 50 years. Our goal is to offer a conceptual framework and method of assessing identity in an empirically sensitive way. Our findings show that EU citizens have multiple identities of which EU identity is part and that there is strong evidence for the development of a coherent EU. We suggest that future research pay attention to a broader range of indicators than examined here.