The European Union and Asia-Pacific: Media, Public and Elite Perception 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.

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.