Pilot Study
External Perceptions of the European Union
The changing profile of New Zealand society, the possible weakening of traditional ties to the UK, as well as New Zealand's potential Asian "identity", all serve to underline the need for empirical analysis of contemporary general public perceptions of Europe, one of the dominant economic, political and cultural partners for New Zealand. On the other side of this important relationship, the European Union places great value on its external relations. This initial study offers a unique view of the EU from the outside; the findings constitute the beginning of a longer-term analysis of NZ-EU perceptions.
The brochure below presents the results and concluding comments of a quantitative study of the perceptions of the EU among New Zealand citizens. The study was launched and carried out by the National Centre for Research on Europe, at the University of Canterbury. These results are the first of their kind in New Zealand. There has been no previous study that explores public opinion on the EU within New Zealand. It is hoped that this report will be useful to all those interested in this important region. It is also anticipated that the survey will be repeated at regular intervals.
Dr. Natalia Chaban, July 2003
- Peripheral and Invisible?: The European Union in the New Zealand Media, 2000-2002 (.pdf, 297 KB) (Published in CERC Working Papers Series, No.2, 2004)
- New Zealand National Elite’s Attitudes and Perceptions of the European Union - Interim report (February 2004)
Full text (.pdf, 230 KB) - Executive Summary: NCRE Media Workshops (August 2003)
Full text (.pdf, 21 KB) - External Perceptions of the European Union: A Survey of New Zealanders' Perceptions and Attitudes towards the European Union (July 2003)
Full text (.pdf, 4,016 KB)