The EU? All right ... - On the acceptance of EU membership in East-Central Europe

A clear majority of the citizens of the new EU member states favoured accession. Will this continue to be the case in future? An analysis of the acceptance that has been reflected in surveys of public opinion conducted during the last few years shows that it is largely based on cost-benefit considerations. There is very little socio-demographic variation in these findings. Differences across countries and oscillations over time, on the other hand, can be explained in terms of the influence of historical context on the current situation. The importance of calculations of cost suggests that the positive attitude to EU membership is most likely to decline in cases where high economic expectations are disappointed.