Identification with Europe – a matter of exposure?

Research on European identity has consistently found low identification with the supra-national category European for participants with low experience levels of Europe. In some instances, higher experience levels of Europe, for example through language competence, exchange programs or work experience have also produced higher levels of identification with Europe. However, overall identification levels with Europe rest still low. To assess the impact of exposure to Europe on identification with Europe, two empirical studies were carried out among adolescents who are growing up with high experience levels of Europe. Participants are students at the European School of Luxembourg, which is divided into language sections representing the member states of the European Union. The students learn a second language from Primary school onwards and more languages are added later on. They attend weekly “European hour” classes and many parents work for one of the European institutions located in Luxembourg. Luxembourg itself is a trilingual country, sharing borders with three countries and a foreign population of 44%. In the first study, 106 students, average age M = 13.64, SD = 1.72 participated and the salience of the supra-national category European was assessed in the spontaneous self-concept using a modified version of the Twenty Statement Test. None of the European school students mentioned “European” in their spontaneous self-concept. In the second study (N = 204, average age M =15.16, SD = 0.84) students were asked to self-categorize in terms of nationality. Bicultural self-definitions were common, but only one student described herself as “European”. These findings amongst the high exposure group to Europe are discussed against a background of identity theories including theories on national identity and wider collective identities. I will argue that European identity is likely to remain elusive and alternative research approaches are suggested within a globalizing world.