ABSTRACT
Against the backdrop of the euro and sovereign debt crisis, we explore whether EU citizens support the general idea of providing financial support to European countries in need. The results show that two thirds of the respondents favour giving financial assistance to EU countries in crisis and that majorities of this magnitude are present in all 13 countries. Although European fiscal solidarity is less prevalent than support for financial assistance for regions within national boundaries, the support rate is considerably higher than for non-EU countries. Furthermore, a majority of EU citizens is willing to make a minimum contribution of at least a half per cent from their own income in all countries except France. The analysis of possible (structural and cultural) cleavages regarding European fiscal solidarity provides only a weak indication of cleavages. There is an evident divide between citizens with different political value orientations but hardly any between citizens and countries with different socio-economic positions. Concerning political cleavages, our analyses show that citizens who reject fiscal solidarity are more inclined to vote for politically right-wing Eurosceptic parties. However, the correlation is weak and contingent on citizens’ socio-economic and cultural characteristics.
