Who are the Olympians? A Cross-Country Analysis of People’s Trust in the EU
Who are the Olympians? A Cross-Country Analysis of People’s Trust in the EU

Summary/Abstract: The study aims to test the concept of Olympianism in order to identify the extent to which it reflects a valid and generalizable attitude among Europeans. The research uses linear regression analysis and statistic correlations by means of which are identified the factors that influence citizens’ confidence in the EU, as chosen indicator of Olympianism. The results of the regression are tested through the analysis of Eurobarometer data between 2006 and 2012. The operationalization of the concept is based on the theoretical background and groups the variables found in the literature according to three dimensions: political-institutional, moral-attitudinal and identitarian. The research results show that Olympianism is not an entirely valid concept for the European continent and therefore it needs reconceptualization. Further findings regard the identified divergent and convergent patterns that show different factors which influence people’s support of the EU, in relation to their nationality. An essential finding that contradicts one of the main hypotheses in the literature regarding Olympianism is that it is opposed to national consciousness. The research draws on data from the latest European Values Study in 2008. Eight countries are analyzed in comparison to the general, European tendency: Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain.

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