This book traces changes in the social and political orientations of the publics of Britain, France, Italy, Spain, West Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece and Luxembourg from 1970 to 1988. It charts the persistence of distinctive national outlooks in many domains, alongside the emergence of a European consensus within the framework of an increasingly integrated European Community. Written by leading social scientists from Western Europe and the United States, this book helps chart the future for Europe after 1992.

Preface - Notes on the Contributors - Analyzing Trends in West European Opinion; R.Inglehart & K.Reif - Public Opinion About the European Parliament; O.Niedermayer - European Political Cooperation and Public Opinion; W.J.Feld - The Political Prospects for Europe in the Wake of the Single European Act; E.Noel - Switzerland: To Be or Not To Be - In Europe?; A.Melich - Public Opinion and Public Information Campaigns; M.Hewstone - Public Opinion and European Union: Thatcher vs the People of Europe; J.Pinder - Trust Between Nations; R.Inglehart - Gender Differences in Sex-Role Attitudes: A Topic Without a Future; M.R.Inglehart - Politicization and Political Interest; J.W.Van Deth - The Dynamics of Party System Change; R.J.Dalton - On the Electoral Persistance of Parties of the Right; S.H.Barnes - The Use of the Eurobarometer in the Study of Electoral Change; M.N.Franklin & T.T.Mackie - The Dynamics of Mass Political Support in Western Europe; M.Kuechler - Materialists and Postmaterialists: Different Viewpoints or Different Worlds?; R.S.Katz - Postmodernity, Postmaterialism, and Political Theory; K.Von Beyme - On the Real Withering Away of the State; G.Ionescu - How Poverty is Perceived; H.Riffault - The Factual Data Obtained from the Eurobarometer Surveys and How They Help in Describing Member States; J-F.Tchernia - Values and the Challenge of Europe's Identity; J.Kerkhofs - The Role of South European Interest Groups in the European Community: A Comparative Approach; D.Sidjanski - The Role of the Eurobarometer in the Study of European Elections and the Development of Comparative Electoral Research; C.Van der Eijk & H.Schmitt - Bibliography of Jacques-Rene Rabier - Index