Key Observations:
- Color Coding:
- Orange: Represents regions where people feel most attached to their region within the country.
- Blue: Indicates regions where people feel most attached to their country.
- Red: Shows regions where people feel most attached to Europe.
- Regional Attachments:
- Spain and Italy: Significant regional attachment is seen in various regions, particularly in areas like Catalonia in Spain and parts of northern Italy. These areas are marked in orange, indicating a stronger connection to their region than to the country as a whole.
- France: Corsica stands out with the largest difference in attachment between the region and the country, indicating a strong regional identity.
- Finland (Åland Islands): The Åland Islands exhibit the highest regional attachment.
- Country-Level Attachment:
- Attachment to Europe:
- Budapest, Hungary: Stands out as the only region where people feel more attached to Europe than to their country or region.
- Eastern Europe: Generally, the attachment to Europe is higher in comparison to Western Europe.
- Highlighted Regions:
- Central Jutland, Denmark: Highest attachment to the country level.
- Zealand, Denmark: Shows the largest difference in attachment between the country and region.
- Yugozapaden, Bulgaria: Lowest attachment to Europe.
Summary Maps (Bottom):
- Attachment to Region: Mostly strong in southern and parts of western Europe.
- Attachment to Country: More uniformly strong across Europe, especially in the northern and eastern parts.
- Attachment to Europe: Generally weaker, with notable attachment in some central and eastern European countries.
Here’s what desfirsit has to say about his map:
EDIT: Several people have criticized the title, since only EU countries are included in the survey. The survey cannot say what the average European thinks – for that we would need to include all countries. The map was only meant to show what the people in the regions that were included in the survey think. And all people in the survey are Europeans, which is why I chose the title. But to avoid confusion I wish I had chosen a different title. If you want to see a version with a different title you can find it on my twitter (linked from my profile). But the question was about attachment to Europe, not the EU.
Builds on data from the 2021 European Quality of Government Index. You can read more about the survey and download the data here: https://www.gu.se/en/quality-government/qog-data/data-downloads/european-quality-of-government-index
Between 400 and 600 respondents in each region answered questions on how attached they felt to their region in the country, the country, and Europe. The big map shows which of the three had the average highest attachment in each region. In most regions the primary attachment was to the country. Only one region had the highest attachment to Europe: Budapest.
Basque Country in Spain had the lowest attachment to both the region and to the country. Probably because the issue is polarized, so some people have very high attachment to one and very low to the other. The second lowest attachment to the country was in Catalonia, Spain.
The regional division is the EU NUTS 2 standard. Only EU countries were included in the survey. Nuts shapefiles: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/gisco/geodata/reference-data/administrative-units-statistical-units/nuts
Here’s an alternative map by Geo Universe:
Leave a Reply