Publications

The Future of Europe. Comparing Public and Elite Attitudes

Authors: Thomas Raines, Matthew Goodwin, David Cutts
Publisher: Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London
Content: 48 pages
ISBN: 978-1-78413-229-3
Year: 2017

A major Chatham House study examining European attitudes on issues from identity and integration to the future of the EU has been released in June 2017 – a year on from Britain’s vote to leave. Based on a unique survey of more than 10,000 members of the public and 1,800 “influencers” from politics, the media, business and civil society, the study compares these “public” and “elite” attitudes within and across 10 EU countries. The survey was conducted in between December 2016 and February 2017 in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The Future of Europe: Comparing Public and Elite Attitudes reveals both significant divisions and threads of commonality across the continent. Importantly, it shows a lack of consensus among the elite over future EU integration – and a pronounced divide within the public on issues of identity. It highlights the split in attitudes between elites and the public over Europe’s future, but also reveals a surprising alignment in their attitudes in areas such as European solidarity and the EU’s successes and failures.

The Future of Europe: Comparing Public and Elite Attitudes is the result of a project made possible by funding from Stiftung Mercator, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the King Baudouin Foundation and ERSTE Foundation.

Download The Future of Europe. Comparing Public and Elite Attitudes

Florian Bauer

Director Social Finance, Sustainability and Innovation
Since 2023, Florian Bauer has been responsible for social finance, sustainability and social innovation at ERSTE Foundation. Prior to this role, Florian worked in the NGO & Social Entrepreneurship sector for more than 13 years. He led the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), an international multilateral NGO that works to accelerate market-based deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient systems in developing countries, and was Managing Director & COO of the Impact Hub Vienna. From 2020-2023, Florian established strategic alliances with key partners and helped to create innovative semantic technology solutions at Semantic Web Company (SWC), a leading IT company in semantic AI solutions.