Research on Ways to Ameliorate the Degree of Peoples Euroscepticism after the Brexit Referendum

Abstract

After the Brexit referendum, some scholars predicted it could have a demonstration effect, leading to increased public skepticism towards the European Union (EU). In response to this challenge, EU countries have implemented a series of reform measures, which have proven to be effective, but with varying degrees of success. Previous research mainly focused on the impact of Brexit on the EU and the countermeasures taken by the EU, without a deeper study of which combination of reform measures is more effective. This paper conducts a qualitative comparative analysis of the various reforms implemented by EU member states. The results show that the most effective combination of measures consists of three parallel causal paths: effective promotion of EU citizenship, effective economic policy reform, and reduction of social welfare; effective promotion of EU citizenship, increased awareness of hate speech and other extremist discourse through education, increased support for refugees and ethnic minorities, and strengthened social media regulation; effective promotion of EU citizenship, promotion of cultural understanding through education, increased support for civil society organizations against extremism, and effective economic policy reform. Effective citizenship reform presents to be a necessary condition. The paths to reducing public skepticism towards the EU are diverse, and effective economic policy reform, strengthened social media regulation, and promotion of cultural understanding through education are all more effective in increasing public trust in the EU.