Date of Award

Summer 8-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor Degree

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Ridvan Peshkopia

Language

English

Abstract

This thesis contributes to the growing literature that calls upon psychology traits and belief systems to explain people’s attitudes toward their country’s EU membership. By relying on trust in politicians and institutions as well as self-reported optimism, it argues for a positive association of such traits with people’s support for EU membership. I test my hypothesis with a probability simple random sample that I helped to collect in Kosovo during summer 2017. I find evidence that people’s trust in country’s politicians, EU politicians, EU judiciary and self-reported optimism predict more support for Kosovo’s EU membership. However, I was not able to find evidence that people’s trust in Kosovo’s judiciary predicts more support for EU membership. Those findings carry both theoretical and practical importance since they both generalize and contextualize existing research, as well as help politicians and institutions to fight to increase their citizens’ trust in them, if they want to increase EU legitimacy.

DOI

10.33107/ubt-etd.2018.253

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