Publication
Emotions research meets European studies: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
In this article, Seda Gürkan, Cesare Figari Barberis and Jaroslaw Kantorowicz examine how emotions have been studied in relation to the European Union and identify key gaps and opportunities for future research.
- Author
- Seda Gürkan, Cesare Figari Barberis & Jaroslaw Kantorowicz
- Date
- 01 September 2026
- Links
- Read the article
Emotions are increasingly recognised as an important factor in understanding European politics, policymaking and integration. However, research on emotions and the European Union remains relatively new and fragmented. This systematic literature review maps how emotions have been incorporated into European studies and examines how this research has developed over time.
The authors conduct a PRISMA-based systematic literature review of 194 academic articles. The studies are categorised according to the actors whose emotions are examined: EU citizens, EU institutions, EU member states and third countries. EU citizens and EU institutions account for the largest share of the literature, while EU member states and third countries remain comparatively understudied.
The review shows that emotions among EU citizens are frequently linked to trust in the EU, support for EU policies and affective attachment. Research on EU institutions, by contrast, often examines emotions through political discourse, institutional practices and concepts such as ontological security and emotional norms.
The literature relies predominantly on qualitative methods: 68.6% of the reviewed studies use qualitative approaches, compared with 24.7% quantitative and 6.7% mixed-methods research. Quantitative research is particularly common in studies of EU citizens, whereas research on EU institutions and member states is predominantly qualitative.
The authors also find that negative emotions receive the most attention, particularly fear, anxiety and anger. At the same time, emotions such as hope, pride, trust and solidarity have received increasing attention in specific areas of EU research. Since around 2016, the number of publications connecting emotions and the EU has increased substantially, although the field remains relatively small.
The authors conclude that future research should integrate emotions more systematically into theories of European integration. In particular, they call for stronger connections between research on citizens' emotions and emotional practices within EU institutions, as these may influence one another through feedback mechanisms.