Predictors of young people’s engagement with the European Union

This study investigated whether demographic variables, efficacy beliefs, European identifications, future visions, and worries are associated with four forms of (dis)engagement with the European Union. The sample comprised 3,764 young people aged 16 to 25 years living in seven European countries: Albania, Austria, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the UK. Economic challenges, human rights, and the environment were the most important future visions. Unemployment and poverty, climate change, civil unrests and the collapse of the EU were the most important future worries. The four forms of (dis)engagement with the European Union were differentially associated with the predictors explaining 7.2 to 23.8% of the variance. Internal efficacy and the future vision economic challenges predicted all constructs. Regarding European identifications, the sub-constructs belonging and exploration were most important. Implications for future EU policy are discussed.