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This article compares responses to questionnaires and contributions to focus groups carried out in 2005-2006 as part of a research on attitudes toward European integration. It also compares the stances taken on Europe with those taken on two other issues, welfare State and immigration.
Therefore, it addresses both questions about the variability of opinions and the specific contribution of focus groups. It shows a certain congruence of the two techniques as well as the existence of subtle shifts. These shifts are not attributable to individuals as such but to topics and to the contexts of discussion. This exploration provides evidence that focus groups are particularly useful to understand how citizens – and among them those with fewer social and political resource – are taking a stand.
