Euroenthusiasm in Romania: Is the Romanian Youth in Favor of the European Union or too Apathetic to Object?
Euroenthusiasm in Romania: Is the Romanian Youth in Favor of the European Union or too Apathetic to Object?

Summary/Abstract: Euroscepticism is a term used loosely used to define opposition to the European Union and its policies, thus including a vast range of attitudinal dimensions. Taking into consideration the distinction between EUscepticism (opposition to the EU per se), and current-EU-scepticism (scepticism to its current political direction), we investigate from a qualitative and quantitative perspective the attitudes of a specific socio-demographic group (the young generation of students aged 22 to 26 years old) towards the European Union. We have carried out our research in a particular political context: the events surrounding the attempted impeachment of the Romanian president Traian Bãsescu and the reactions of EU officials to that matter (June-August 2012). The results suggest that the young generation displays not genuine Euroenthusiasm, but more of a naive Eurooptimism, or even Euroapathy in disguise.

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