1st Edition
The European Union and the Asia-Pacific Media, Public and Elite Perceptions of the EU
A central problem for the European Union is said to be that of the "politics of identity". Within this, the concept of the EU’s international identity requires exploration in terms of how it is both constructed and represented globally.
To address this issue, this book identifies measures and compares public awareness and perceptions of the EU within the Asia-Pacific region. It deals with the under-researched issue of the public perception of the EU outside the Union and the role of the media in shaping such perceptions. It builds on what has been described as the EU’s ‘communication deficit’, a phenomenon which has typically been explored as an internal EU dynamic but has yet to be applied to the EU’s external relations.
The volume presents findings from a systematic research project designed to measure the EU’s external ‘communication deficit’ and to raise the level of its awareness in other regions through three perception levels:
- The study of EU images in news mass media production
- A survey of general public perceptions and attitudes on the EU
- A survey of the elite perceptions of the EU.
Drawing on research from New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Thailand, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, communication studies, European studies and Asian studies.
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Research Project Rationale
(by Martin Holland, NCRE, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand)
2. Theoretical Underpinnings and Methodological Considerations (by Natalia Chaban and Martin Holland, NCRE, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand)
Section I. “Images of the EU in the Asia-Pacific media”
3. Mirror Reflections? The EU in Print and Broadcast Media in the Asia Pacific (by Natalia Chaban, Jessica Bain, Katrina Stats, Paveena Sutthisripok, and Se Na Kim)
4. An ‘Exclusive Club’ or a ‘Happy Family’? Images of the EU in the Asia Pacific Media (by Natalia Chaban, Jessica Bain, Katrina Stats, Paveena Sutthisripok, and Se Na Kim)
Section II. “The EU in the Asia-Pacific Public Opinion”
5. Exposure, Accessibility, and Difference: How Australians and New Zealanders Perceive Europe and the European Union (by Bradford S. Jones, University of Arizona, USA)
6. Bringing Public Opinion Back in Perceptions of the EU in Thailand and South Korea (by Kenneth Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong)
7. Europe Seen from the Other Side of the Planet (by Michael Bruter, London School of Economics & Political Science, London, UK)
Section III. “Perceptions of the EU among Asia-Pacific Elites”
8. Perceptions of the EU among Australian Elites (by Philomena Murray, University of Melbourne, Australia
9. Perceptions of the EU among New Zealand Elites (by Martin Holland and Natalia Chaban NCRE, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand)
10. Perceptions of the EU among Thai elites (by Apirat Petschiri, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand)
11. Conclusions (by Martin Holland and Natalia Chaban)
Biography
Natalia Chaban is a Lecturer in European Studies at the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE) at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Martin Holland is Director of the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE) and Jean Monnet Chair ad personam at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
