Macro-social identities reflect the strength of social attachments (strong vs weak) and the objects-referents of such attachments (society vs nation). Three types of macro-social identities-civic, (ethno-) national and denizen-are distinguished and operationalised in Australia using national survey data (1995 ISSP). The largest proportion (38 per cent) of Australians embrace civic identity, an identity type most widespread among 'baby boomers', the tertiary educated and secular. Those who embrace the national identity form a sizeable minority (30 per cent), and are predominantly older, less educated and religious. Denizen identity characterises a small minority (6 per cent) of Australians who feel weakly attached to the country. The key issues dividing the adherents to civic and national identities are immigration and its socioeconomic consequences. Ethno-nationalists embrace neo-conservative rather than extremist attitudes, although their numbers may be declining in the wake of generational replacement, the education revolution and progressive secularisation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.