Project description
How European identity forms in the next-gen
A strong sense of European identity is important to secure long-term peace and stability. The ERC-funded GENERATION EU project explores the development, drivers, and societal impacts of this among children and adolescents, who may be the first generation of native EU citizens. GENERATION EU uses mixed-methods that span developmental psychology, historical analysis, and large-scale data science. The project also draws on the findings of longitudinal surveys, field experiments, and historical data in order to map how these identities form in youth. The goal is also to assess how European identity influences individual well-being and social cohesion, as well as identify potential risks of exclusion or backlash. Ultimately, GENERATION EU provides essential insights for fostering a more unified and inclusive Europe.
Objective
Youth in Europe may be the first generation of native EU citizens in their country; their support for and identification with Europe are essential for peace on the continent. Identity formation is an essential development task across the lifespan; yet in middle childhood and early adolescence, there is low identity complexity. Therefore, it is essential to understand how children and adolescents develop and identify with superordinate categories (e.g. being European), and the impact of those identities on individual (e.g. well-being, civic engagement) and societal outcomes (e.g. social cohesion, peace).
GENERATION EU (GenEU) has three aims. First, GenEU will explore the development and predictors of European identity within and between countries, regions, and social groups, alongside changes over time. Second, GenEU will investigate the impact of European identity – on individual children and adolescents, as well as on society as whole. Third, a paradox of inclusion is often excluding others. GenEU will trace the potential unintended negative consequences or backlash effects of European identity.
To assess causal processes and change over time, the GenEU combines field experiments, qualitative archives, a longitudinal survey, historical cross-national surveys, and large-scale quantitative text analysis. Case selection not only enables understanding changes and processes across developmental periods (WP2 childhood; WP3 adolescence), but also across cohorts and generations using historical data (WP3 22 years, WP4 80 years). Essential for robust inference, research designs have strategic variability (e.g. EU generation; violent conflict or not). Finally, tackling the research challenge (i.e. what is European identity and how does it work?), GenEU will generate a new comprehensive model and interdisciplinary data and tools. These have implications for European social cohesion and peace, as well as for other global regional identities (e.g. African Union, ASEAN).
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
4 Dublin
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.