Voting in Europe: Television and Viewers' Involvement in the 1984 European Parliamentary Election

Abstract

Surveys at the beginning and end of the 1984 European Election campaign provide data on attitudes to Europe and to the EEC; aspects of television viewing; intention to vote and claim to have voted. A core sample within the two surveys provides an opportunity to examine the links, if any, between attitudes, knowledge and viewing experience, as potential determinants of participation in the election by voting. Attitudes towards Europe divide into three factors: economic, political and cultural. The viewing of films and drama relates to higher interest in the election coverage, though viewing of news and informational material does not. Nor does the latter relate with the claim of having voted, but the cultural dimension of integration with Europe shows an independent, if small, relationship. Involvement in the EEC is thus a more complex task than the delivery of political and economic messages to the electorate, but may proceed more effectively if a cultural sensibility is to the fore.