Measuring or constructing public opinion? Turkey and the EU seen through Eurobarometer surveys

European elites and citizens at large share the opinion that Turkish citizens are far from European common values, needed to be a part of the European Union. Despite the general lack of definition of such values, the idea remains strong in the collective European imaginaries as shown through Eurobar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmpiria (Madrid) no. 21; pp. 63 - 95
Main Author Ruiz Jimenez, Antonia Maria
Format Journal Article
LanguageSpanish
Published 01.01.2011
Subjects
Citizens
Elites
European Union
Prejudice
Public Opinion
Surveys
Turkey
Values
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Summary:European elites and citizens at large share the opinion that Turkish citizens are far from European common values, needed to be a part of the European Union. Despite the general lack of definition of such values, the idea remains strong in the collective European imaginaries as shown through Eurobarometer data. Furthermore, this perception about the cultural distance between Turks and Europeans has a strong negative impact on popular support for Turkish enlargement and the policies that EU elites are willing to embrace. This research note analyzes, on the one hand, the quality of the specific battery of questions on Turkey introduced by EB in 2005 (taking into account possible effects on negative perceptions about Turkey). And, on the other hand, examines the use of an alternative battery of questions introduced by EB in 2007. While 2005 battery contributes to forming prejudices and building Turkey as the Europeans' significant "Other", 2007 battery shows that Turks and Europeans are not very different as their values' systems regards. Adapted from the source document.
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ISSN:1139-5737