The perception of the Romanian college students toward the national and the European identity
The perception of the Romanian college students toward the national and the European identity

Summary/Abstract: Countries that are EU members are facing similar challenges in different stages after the moment of accession, one of those challenges is, for sure, the new European identity of the citizens from the new enrolled country. This study aims to identify the attitudes toward European Union, the relation between the national and European identities and the positive/negative presumed consequences of Romania’s EU integration. Also, the optimism was considered an important variable in the equation of Romanian students’ decision to study in another EU country. The data were collected from 120 high school and college students. The results show a strong relation between the positive/negative perceived consequences of the country’s EU integration and the association happiness-EU and fear-EU. This perception, together with the level of optimism, is also an important factor considered by the young citizens in their decision to study in the country of origin or in another EU country. Both cognitive and emotional components of the attitudes of young citizens toward the EU have to be considered when the national-European identities are analyzed.

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