Methodology 3 Germany To further the understanding of concerns about the EU in Germany and determine whether there is a gap between citizens’ EU fears and their evaluation by political elites in Germany we contrast the analysis of public opinion data about attitudes towards the EU with insights derived from elite interviews with German politicians and political analysts. We aim to provide some explicit contrasts between elite and mass views and understand where public perceptions are adequately understood by decision-makers and where gaps in understanding may exist that demand further exploration. Analysis of public opinion survey data on EU attitudes in Germany To gain an understanding of citizens’ attitudes towards the EU in Germany, we analyse the German dataset from a comparative survey commissioned by Demos for the purpose of this project. A sample of 2,125 German adults (aged 18+), representative in age, gender and region, were interviewed about their fears about and attitudes towards the EU and their representation in it. In addition to capturing demographic data, education and income, the survey consisted of twelve questions, of which eight were asked across all countries included in the study (Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK) and four were specific to the German case study. Where possible, survey questions were adopted from existing standard surveys on political attitudes, such as the European Social Survey and the European Value Survey. The survey was conducted online by YouGov between 23 August and 7 September 2016. Respondents were invited through YouGov’s online panel and were included in the final dataset if they answered all questions. The final data have been weighted, taking into account last political vote, education and political affiliation.
183 Elite interviews with political leaders To understand the extent to which we can speak of a gap between public and elite conceptions of the EU in Germany, we contrast data on public opinion with the views of political decision-makers, as expressed in our interviews with them. In doing so, we employ a broad definition of political elites that comprises all those who act as key representatives, decision-makers and gatekeepers or hold exclusive information about political processes. Within this definition political elites can include politicians at various levels of government or representation, staff at political institutions, political analysts and researchers’ as well as journalists. In this report we present insights from nine interviews with political elites in Germany. The sample includes politicians from several levels: regional, national and European. Regional party functionaries, members of the German Bundestag (MPs) and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been interviewed. All four political parties constituting the current German parliament are represented in the sample. The sample further includes analysts from different political party think tanks and a journalist. The participants represent various regions in Germany (figure 1). Participants were recruited via d|part’s network and at high-level workshops about current policy issues. With the exception of analysts from party think tanks, they were selected in order to represent various areas of policy expertise, not specifically European affairs. The sample includes politicians focused on energy and transport policy, environmental policy, regional development, home and foreign affairs. In conversations lasting 45–60 minutes, we asked participants about their conception of citizens’ evaluations of the EU, the concrete concerns and fears of citizens in their constituency, and how they evaluate and plan to address them. Interviews took place in person or via telephone and were conducted between 14 September and 17 October 2016.