Presenting EU Strategic Autonomy as Global Actorness? The Role of Eurobarometer Surveys in Framing Foreign Policy for Public Perception

Abstract

On the rising tides of public opinion, wars have been fought; elections were won; and strategy was changed. Communicating policy initiatives are crucial to the flow of natural governance discourse between the European public sphere and a ruling body like the European Union. This dissertation showcases an exploratory study into whether or not a rather ambiguous foreign policy concept like strategic autonomy is presented for public perception through communications messaging efforts by the European Union through its polling and publication of the Eurobarometer Standard Survey Series. In consideration of broader information messaging of policy initiatives by an organization that rests at the nexus of a global power, multilateral body, economic leader, and security and defence provider fresh perspectives contributing to the academic body of thought on the European Union and its interactions with its citizen public are crucial and often understudied. This paper aims presents a mixed methods, quantitative content and qualitative framing analysis of the Eurobarometer Standard Survey series public opinion polling mechanisms between 2013-2023. The examined research investigates whether and how intentional frames in questions and responses serve to present inherently ambiguous foreign policy expressions like...