The literature on public support for European integration often suggests that political elites play an important role shaping public attitudes towards the European Union. However, empirical findings reveal an inconsistent pattern of political effects with partisan variables predicting individual opinion in some contexts, but not in others. Characteristics of the national political context, as well as characteristics of individual parties are found to condition the influence of political parties on mass opinion.
Unified parties send clearer cues to their voters.
However, a cross party consensus on the issue of integration mutes the effectiveness of party cues, as does broad agreement at the mass level.