This research analyzed the existence of the goal setting for the issue of the EU and Croatian integration procedure. It utilized public opinion survey data and content analysis of daily newspapers to evaluate the significance of seven topics relevant to the problem on the media and the public agenda in 3 subsequent periods. The outcomes of the correlation analysis exposed the minimal agenda setting effects of the presentation of 7 topics in the media on the identified significance of those topics in the first period, while there wasn’t any support for agenda setting in later periods. A comparison between the topics importance scores on the media agenda and public agenda indicated that the occurrence or lack of the agenda setting was connected with either extensive or minimal coverage of the economy in the media during each period. The marginal proof of the agenda setting put this study in contrast with many different studies which proved the influence of the media agenda on its corresponding public agenda.
The political changes in Eastern and Southern Europe in the last decade of the 20th century gave prospects for participation of new countries in the European integration process. After almost a decade of long struggle to establish a functional statehood, the Republic of Croatia officially started the integration process by signing the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA)….
Source: University of Twente