The French Rejection of the EU Constitution in a global context: A public opinion perspective

Startin, Nicholas

Abstract

Drawing on exit poll and opinion poll data, the chapter analyses the motivations of ‘no’ voters in the 2005 referendum in France on the EU constitution. The central thrust of my argument is that the ‘no’ victory was primarily motivated by concerns about the impact of economic and cultural globalisation rather than by hostility towards the EU per-se. The chapter proceeds to a wider discussion of French public perceptions of globalisation which clearly demonstrates that: 1) that a majority of French people are hostile or uneasy about globalisation; 2) that this opposition is continuing to rise; 3) that France is the country in the EU that is most concerned about economic globalisation.

• Publication Date: Apr 30, 2008
• Deposit Date: Dec 21, 2010
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 91-110
• Series Title: French Politics, Society and Culture
• Book Title: France on the World Stage: Nation State Strategies in the Global Era
• ISBN: 9780230521261
• Keywords: France, EU, globalisation, Globalization, EU Constitution
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1013226
• Publisher URL: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=278810
• Contract Date: Sep 13, 2016