Europe between mobility and sedentarism : patterns of cross-border practices and their consequences for European identification

Abstract

In this working paper we explore to what extent mobilities shape the everyday lives of Europeans. We map out the patterns of physical and virtual mobilities, including intra-European migrations, international travel, but also individual networks across borders and online transactions. In particular, we outline how free movement within the EU, one of the basic rights of EU citizens, is part and parcel of a broader ‘mobility mix’ of transnational practices. By applying LCA (latent class analysis) to a random sample of 6000 resident nationals in six EU member states (Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Romania: the EUCROSS survey of 2012) we build a typology of European cross-border practices, drawing a diversified picture of mobilities between two extreme positions of transnationalism and immobility. We describe in detail the typical configurations of social transnationalism in the light of their structuration on the basis of macro and micro categorical differences. Finally, we ask about the consequences of these mobilities for European integration. We do so by linking different mobility patterns identified with LCA analysis to identifications with Europe.