Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21464/mo.33.1.4
Self-perceived EU informedness and students’ attitudes towards mobility and intercultural contact
Zrinka Fišer
orcid.org/0000-0001-5425-6659
; Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod, Croatia
*
Luka Pongračić
orcid.org/0000-0002-2378-822X
; Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Ivana Jošanov-Vrgović
; Faculty of Organizational Studies “Eduka”, Beograd, Serbia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Between November 2024 and January 2025, 141 university students from the University of Slavonski Brod (Croatia) and the Faculty of Organisational Studies “Eduka” (Belgrade, Serbia) participated in a study examining how young people’s self-perceived informedness about the European Union (EU) relates to their attitudes toward EU membership. Using a questionnaire with validated scales of self-perceived EU knowledge and attitudes towards the EU, the research explored links between self-perceived informedness and mobility-oriented perceptions which included travel behaviour, social interaction, and intercultural openness within the EU. Non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon W and Kendall’s tau_b tests) showed that higher self-perceived EU-related knowledge was significantly associated with more positive and mobility-oriented attitudes. Croatian students evaluated EU membership more favourably than Serbian students, while both groups reported similar levels of self-assessed knowledge. The findings underline the importance of informedness in shaping youth perceptions of European integration and mobility, highlighting similarities and contrasts between EU member and candidate countries in education, economy, and tourism.
Keywords
European Union; youth attitudes; self-perceived informedness; intercultural mobility; South-East Europe
Hrčak ID:
349797
URI
Publication date:
27.7.2026.
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