LAUSR

ABSTRACT This paper defines the solution to the European Sovereign Debt Crisis as a European solidarity deal and analyzes it from the perspective of citizens in an EU debtor state. To be more precise, we test the conditions under which citizens living in an indebted state support their country’s part of the solidarity deal, namely the introduction of austerity measures to overcome the crisis. Using Greece in the peak of its drama as a case in point, we find that the belief in the necessity of the deal due to pessimistic economic evaluations, citizens’ support for their country’s EU membership as well as economic right-wing positions were clear determinants for citizens’ vote in favor of the introduction of austerity measures, otherwise known to be highly unpopular.