Evaluating the impact of the EU’s normative message of the “EU as a model” on external public perceptions: an experimental study in Israel

This article analyses whether the EU’s normative idea, as embedded in the idea of the “EU as a model”, influences external public perceptions of its normative message; in other words, does exposure to the story of how the EU emerged from the ashes of World War II to become a community of peace and security impact public views of the EU as a normative power? To examine these questions, a population-based survey experiment was conducted in Israel–a country with contradictory relations with the EU. The findings are clear and straightforward: exposure to the “EU as model” message increased recognition of the normative actorness of the EU. This impact holds when controlling and interacting with the exposure to various cultural filters which are key factors in shaping views of the EU like political attitudes. The implications of these findings for EU studies and public diplomacy as well as the potential contribution of the approach proposed in this article are discussed.