Costs and Conditions of Citizen Support for the EU : A time-series cross-sectional analysis of the effect of EU structural funds on support for European integration in 153 European regions (2004–2019)

Abstract: The aim of this study is to look further into whether higher levels of EU structural fund payments to European regions come with higher levels of citizen support for European integration. The question is relevant in light of rising levels of Euroscepticism in some areas of Europe along with the momentous approval of subsidy packages following the Covid pandemic, nearly doubling the EU’s expenditures. The research question is examined using a time-series cross-sectional design, combining survey data on individual’s opinions on European integration with data on EU payments to European regions. Using a larger data set on EU payments than previous studies, the results are contrary to some previous studies focusing on the effect of EU funding in less prosperous regions, or studies using Eurosceptic voting as the dependent variable, but corroborate the results of the most recent study with similar design and data. Analyses of how the effect is conditioned on country group or level of affluence show mixed results, indicating a need for further research on the effects of EU spending on citizen support for European integration.