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.

Introduction: Research Rationale 1. Mirror Reflections? 2. The European Union in Metaphors: Images of the EU Enlargement in the Asia-Pacific News 3. Exposure, Accessibility, and Difference: How Australians and New Zealanders Perceive Europe and the European Union 4. Bringing Public Opinion Back In: Public Perceptions of the EU in Thailand and South Korea 5. Europe From Within, Europe from Without: Understanding Spontaneous Perceptions of the European Union in the Asia-Pacific 6. What Australians Think About the EU 7. The Asia-Pacific Power Elite and the Soft Superpower. Appendix 1: Media Environments and Sample Selection. Appendix 2: Portrait of the Survey Respondents: Australia and New Zealand. Appendix 3: Portrait of the Survey Respondents: South Korea and Thailand. Appendix 4: Elite Interview Questionnaires