Analyzing British Public Opinion Towards Integrative Policy: An Empirical Test of Two Theories
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The British public’s decision to separate from the European Union (EU) in June of 2016 shocked scholars around the world. 52 percent of citizens voted Leave in the European Union Membership Referendum in the United Kingdom (UK), shattering the predictions of major polls. Scholars became even more confused when examining the traits of citizens who voted Leave, like individuals who greatly benefit from EU cash transfers. This thesis explores how different personal values are prioritized when voting and discovers which are specifically influencing voter preferences toward integrative policies through examining the personal values of UK voters and how these affected their votes in the EU referendum. To do so, I test two prominent individual-level theories of public support for European integration. The first is based on the belief that voters prioritize material values, like economic and physical security, when making their decisions while the second is based on the belief that voters prioritize non-material values, like intellectual fulfillment, self-actualization, and belonging, when making their decisions. Through analyzing survey responses from the British Election Study, I find that a voter’s perception of integration is most influenced by non-material issues. Specifically, the prioritization of non-material values made an individual more likely to vote Leave in the EU referendum. I combine these findings on the impact of non-material values on voter preferences with information about the changes that have occurred to the modern political climate and the rhetorical strategies chosen by each referendum campaign to explain how the Leave vote was able to secure victory. I conclude my thesis with recommendations for what the EU can do to increase and sustain its support in other member states.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 12, 2017 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Jaffe, Amanda |
|---|---|
| Advisor | Crombez, Christophe |
| Advisor | Stedman, Stephen |
Subjects
| Subject | center on democracy development and the rule of law |
|---|---|
| Subject | cddrl |
| Subject | european union |
| Subject | brexit |
| Subject | voter motivation |
| Subject | eu referendum |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Jaffe, Amanda. (2017). Analyzing British Public Opinion Towards Integrative Policy: An Empirical Test of Two Theories. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/mh677xg7514
Collection
Stanford University, Fisher Family Honors Program in Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. (CDDRL)
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- Contact
- amandajaffe1@gmail.com
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