The determinants of transnational solidarity in the EU

Abstract

This article studies transnational solidarity in the EU from a perspective that has not yet been applied in the literature. It asks to what extent transnational solidarity depends on territorial cleavages (solidarity based on territorial, i.e. on national communities) or on functional cleavages (solidarity based on social groups cutting across nation-states). It studies this question based on the 2018–2023 waves of a YouGov survey covering up to 17 countries per wave, with a particularly detailed analysis of the 2023 wave. The survey includes data on transnational solidarity in various crises. A longitudinal analysis of the influence of territorial and functional characteristics on transnational solidarity is combined with a cross-sectional analysis of their joint influence. The results indicate that functional criteria are more prominent for transnational solidarity than territorial criteria, with the proviso that the functional criteria also include a territorial component.