Outlet The European Union and the Asia-Pacific

Within the European Union (EU), the question of ‘identity’ has emerged as a core issue for debate. The external manifestation of this – the EU’s international identity – has only recently been recognized as of equal importance, in terms of its construction and representation globally. To address this issue, this book identifies measures and compares public awareness and perceptions of the EU within the Asia-Pacific region. It deals with the under-researched issue of the public perception of the EU outside the Union and the role of the media in shaping such perceptions. It builds on what has been described as the EU’s ‘communication deficit’, a phenomenon which has typically been explored as an internal EU dynamic but has yet to be applied to the EU’s external relations. The volume presents findings from a systematic research project designed to measure the EU’s external ‘communication deficit’ and to raise the level of its awareness in other regions through three perception levels: • the study of EU images in news media production • a survey of general public perceptions and attitudes on the EU a survey of the elite perceptions of the EU. Drawing on research from New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Thailand, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, communication studies, European studies and Asian studies.