The Meaning and Importance of European Identity and its Relationship to Regional and National Identities in Spain (original) (raw)

The Meaning and Importance of European Identity and its Relationship to Regional and National Identities in Spain: Some Contributing Factors to the Development of European Identity. European, Spanish, and regional identities were studied as part of a wider research survey of youth beliefs and experiences regarding the European Union. The research was conducted in the capital city (Madrid) and the Basque Country (Bilbao). At each location, representative and European-oriented youth samples (N=400 and N=100 each) of 18-24 years (50% female) were gathered. The interviewees were asked about their perception of border countries as included in Europe, and to rate different feasible meanings of the EU, its impact (at personal, regional, and country levels), and different cognitive, affective and evaluative aspects of European, Spanish and regional identities.