Soft sceptics and hard rejectionists: Identifying two types of Eurosceptic voters

Since the advent of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, a key turning point in terms of the crystallization of opposition towards the EU, Euroscepticism has become a transnational phenomenon. The term Euroscepticism has become common political language in all EU member states and with the advent of the Eurozone crisis increasingly 'embedded' within European nation states. Bringing together a collection of essays by established and up-and-coming authors in the field, this handbook paints a fuller, more holistic picture of the extent to which the Eurosceptic debate has influenced the EU and its member states. Crucially, it also focuses on what the consequences of this development are likely to be for the future direction of the European project. By adopting a broad-based, thematic approach, the volume will centre on theory and conceptualisation, political parties, public opinion, non-party groups, the role of referenda - and the media - and of scepticism within the EU institutions. Containing a full range of thematic contributions from eminent scholars in the field and contributions from EU practitioners closely involved in the current debate about the future of the EU, the handbook is a definitive, frame of reference for academics, practitioners and those with an interest in the debate about the EU. The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism is an essential reference for scholars, researchers and practitioners working and researching in the EU and European field and more broadly of key interest to students of European Studies, EU and European Politics.