The “ironic” fair process effect: A perceived fair naturalization procedure spurs anti-immigration attitudes through increased host national identification among naturalized citizens

Abstract

A growing body of research has shown that naturalized citizens’ attitudes towards immigration worsen following citizenship acquisition. Accordingly, these socially mobile individuals tend to distance themselves from their former immigrant ingroup. The present contribution explains such self–group distancing coping strategy in terms of an “ironic” procedural fairness effect. Study 1 ( N = 566), a survey conducted among naturalized Swiss citizens, showed that fairness perceptions with respect to the naturalization process were indeed associated with stronger anti-immigration attitudes, and that this relationship was mediated by identification with the host nation. Next, two experiments were conducted to demonstrate the causality of the hypothesized mediation model. In Study 2 (Experiment 1; N = 248), fairness of the admission procedure (accurate vs. inaccurate) increased identification with a desirable group. In Study 3 (Experiment 2; N = 141), administration of a national identity prime evoked stronger anti-immigration attitudes. Taken together, our findings highlight a somewhat “dark side” of procedural fairness.

Anticipated and achieved individual mobility amongst Portuguese immigrants in Switzerland: Social identity adjustment and inter-minority relations

“…Regardless of the identity components investigated, from the moment immigrants anticipate engaging in the natu ralization procedure, they show a strong orientation toward the host society. The present work thus provides additional support of the association between the assimilationist mode of acculturation and immigrants' intentions to naturalize (Dierckx et al, 2022;Politi et al, 2022). It suggests that migrants perceive that distancing from the minority and approaching the majority are considered strong markers of integration and that they are both needed to undertake the Swiss naturalization procedure.…”

“…For instance, immigrants who acquired host country citizenship tend to exhibit higher identification with the host national group as compared to those who have not undergone naturalization (Kulich et al, 2015). Moreover, this inclination towards national identification becomes particularly pronounced when naturalization procedures are perceived as fair (Dierckx et al, 2022). Nonetheless, the relationship between the nat uralization process and the phenomenon of self-distancing from one's inherited minority group has not been firmly established in the existing body of research.…”

Where and Why Immigrants Intend to Naturalize: The Interplay Between Acculturation Strategies and Integration Policies

“…The small amount of existing studies examined the relation between acculturation strategies and naturalization intentions only indirectly and referred to citizenship acquisition as an assimilationist practice of self‐selection into the national identity (Diehl & Blohm, 2003; Kolbe & Crepaz, 2016; but see Politi, Chipeaux, Lorenzi‐Cioldi, & Staerklé, 2020 for a more nuanced account of citizenship acquisition). Indeed, many naturalized citizens tend to distance themselves from their previous markers of cultural identity and from other immigrants in order to demonstrate their loyalty towards the host‐national community (Diercks, Politi, Valckle, Van Assche, & Van Hiel, 2020; Just & Anderson, 2015; Sarrasin, Green, Bolzman, Visintin, & Politi, 2018; Strijbis & Polavieja, 2018). This motivational explanation echoes findings from a variety of intergroup contexts showing that individuals undergoing a process of upward mobility (e.g., citizenship acquisition), increase their identification with the high‐status acquired group, and derogate the inherited low‐status group (Derks, Ellemers, Van Laar, & De Groot, 2011; Kulich, Lorenzi‐Cioldi, & Iacoviello, 2015; van Veelen, Veldman, Van Laar, & Derks, 2020).…”

Citizenship deservingness justifies exclusive national boundary making: A socio‐dynamic mixed‐methods approach to social representations of citizenship

“…Third, the lexicometric analysis did not reveal any difference in the interpretative repertoire of Swiss voters as a function of their immigration background. This finding is at odds with research showing that naturalized citizens generally hold more positive attitudes towards immigration than natives (Milic et al, 2017; Sarrasin et al, 2018; but see Dierckx et al, 2020; Politi, Chipeaux, et al, 2020). Future research should use other techniques and analytic procedures to investigate the question whether immigration backgrounds foster opinions towards immigration policies and naturalization procedures.…”