This paper argues that foreign language learning in school has substantial effects on later political behaviour. We use an education reform removing compulsory foreign language instruction in English secondary schools in 2004 to identify the causal effect of language learning on EU support.

Theory suggests that speaking foreign languages reduces perceptions of cultural distance and contributes to the formation of transnational identities (Kuhn 2011). Focusing on attitudes towards the Europe Union, research also shows a link between foreign language skills and European identity (Kuhn 2015, Díez -Medrano 2017, Kappe 2020). This research relies on self-reported language skills and correlational evidence.

Our research design overcomes common challenges relating to endogeneity and self-reporting by using exogenous variation in foreign language learning due to an education reform: From 2004 onwards, modern foreign languages were no longer a compulsory subject for the important ‘GCSE’ exams in England. As a consequence, uptake of foreign language subjects dropped significantly. We are able to use the curriculum change as an instrument to identify the causal effect of language instruction on EU support and vote choice in a large-scale probability household panel survey by linking it to detailed administrative data on English pupils' school records.

Our results show that studying foreign languages causes people to become more pro-European. By studying a change in the subjects that students in England were compelled to study, we estimate that foreign language learning decreased support for both Brexit and Eurosceptic radical right parties, and increased support for pro-European parties.