Abstract:

This paper draws mainly from the vast amount of qualitative work done for the European Commission since 1986 to provide a better understanding of what Europeans are, how they view Europe and the European Union, and what research reveals more generally about them. Among the studies conducted on behalf of the Commission, this paper refers notably to a recent major piece of research including the 15 member States as well as nine of the EU applicant countries in Central and in Mediterranean Europe. In all 24 partners were involved in the study and all contributed, directly or indirectly, to this paper. The European Commission joined this team of researchers to discuss how the results of qualitative studies are actually used by that institution, including at the highest political level, and what key functions qualitative research serves.