Previous studies have suggested that Europeans’ support for introducing an EU minimum‐income scheme would be determined by a hope‐or‐fear reasoning. Where Northern/Western Europeans may fear that their generous benefits are levelled out, Southern/Eastern Europeans may be critical of their country’s welfare policies and therefore have hopes for a higher level of benefits and services coming from Europe. We tested this expected mediation effect in 18 EU member states. Results show that both performance evaluation of social benefits and expectations about EU interference predict support for an EU minimum‐income scheme, following expected regional dividing lines. However, against theoretical expectations, there has been no substantial mediation effect. Where support for an EU minimum income scheme is based mostly on social dividing lines, expectations of the EU are related more to contextual differences. Citizens from countries that are net‐receivers of the EU have higher hopes that EU interference will lead to higher benefits and services.

中文翻译：

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在希望与恐惧之间？对待欧盟最低收入计划的地区和社会分界线

先前的研究表明，欧洲人对引入欧盟最低收入计划的支持将由希望或恐惧的推理来决定。在北欧/西欧人可能担心其慷慨的福利被抵消的情况下，南欧/东欧人可能会批评其国家的福利政策，因此希望从欧洲获得更高水平的福利和服务。我们在18个欧盟成员国中测试了这种预期的调解效果。结果表明，按照预期的地区分界线，对社会效益的绩效评估和对欧盟干预的期望都可以预测对欧盟最低收入计划的支持。但是，与理论预期相反，没有实质性的调解作用。如果对欧盟最低收入计划的支持主要基于社会分界线，欧盟的期望更多地取决于上下文差异。来自欧盟净接收国的公民对欧盟的干预将带来更高的利益和服务抱有更高的希望。