Boundaries of American Identity: Evolving Understandings of “Us”

Abstract

This review examines empirical research about American national identity. It focuses on the social and political causes and consequences of (a) how people define what being American means and (b) their degree of attachment to being American. It explains why scholars increasingly view American identity as a social identity and reviews arguments for why political scientists should investigate American identity as both an independent and a dependent variable. Existing research documents a high degree of consensus across demographic groups regarding how American identity is defined. It also reveals both beneficial and harmful consequences of people strongly identifying as American. Empirical inquiries of American identity are motivated by demographic trends, especially the rise in immigration-driven diversity, but they are also deeply grounded in historical and philosophical assessments of the nature of American identity, and such scholarship is also discussed throughout the review.

Public attitudes towards support for migrants: the importance of perceived voluntary and involuntary migration

“…In contrast, stronger endorsement of the view that most newcomers migrate out of their own free choice was independently associated with lower support for cultural rights. These associations were found while controlling for well-known correlates of anti-immigrant attitudes (Schildkraut 2014;Wagner, Christ, and Heitmeyer 2010) and therefore show that the perceived (in)voluntariness of migration matters over and above these factors. The fact that these perceptions are not only associated with cultural rights support but can have a causal effect is demonstrated in experimental studies among convenient samples (Gieling, Thijs, and Verkuyten 2011;Verkuyten 2005).…”

“…To account for the influence of possibly confounding constructs, we controlled for a number of established correlates of anti-immigrant attitudes (Schildkraut 2014;Wagner, Christ, and Heitmeyer 2010). The measures (7-point scales) were taken from previous Dutch research (Verkuyten and Martinovic 2015).…”

“…Schildkraut 2014;Wagner, Christ, and Heitmeyer 2010). In general, those considered not personally responsible for their difficult situation are typically defined as deserving of sympathy and help (Weiner 1995).…”

Can Narratives of White Identity Reduce Opposition to Immigration and Support for Hard Brexit? A Survey Experiment

“…A considerable body of work locates an association between 'ethnic' or exclusive definitions of the nation and opposition to immigration (Citrin et al, 1990;Coenders 2001;Citrin et al, 2001;Heath and Tilley 2005;Citrin and Wright 2009;Pehrsson 2009;Wong 2010;Schildkraut 2014). A smaller number of studies seek to establish causal links between national identity and attitudes to immigration using survey experiments which prime national identity.…”

We the (Christian) People: Christianity and American Identity from 1996 to 2014

“…Prior work on American identity tends to focus on the different types of boundaries Americans place on what it means to be a "true American" (e.g., Schildkraut 2014;Theiss-Morse 2009). This analysis provides a necessary extension of this literature to examine temporal variation in the use of symbolic boundaries, especially religious boundaries, in the United States.…”