What does it Mean to be European? How Identity Content Shapes Adolescents’ Views

Abstract

Many scholars assume that European identity is a civic identity that is ethnically inclusive, and associated with positive intergroup attitudes and support for the EU. However, results on these associations are mixed, and it is an open question whether adolescents conceptualize European identity in civic terms. We were interested in adolescents’ understanding of being European, and how this relates to intolerance towards refugees and newly arrived people, EU support, and national identity. Our sample included 1,206 adolescents from Germany (51% female, Age: M = 14.39, SD = 0.02). Twenty-seven percent were ethnic minority adolescents. European and national identity content were assessed via open-ended answers, which were content coded, and five close-ended questions. We conducted latent class analysis to identify classes for both identities. Three European identity classes emerged: a living-based (47%), a culture & value-based (27%) and an ancestry-based class (26%). Classes did not differ with regard to EU support, but in intolerance (highest: ancestry-based, lowest: culture & value-based). Class membership was significantly associated with German identity classes, such that corresponding identity contents were associated, and immigrant status, ethnic minority adolescents belonged more likely to an ancestry-based European identity class. Our results indicate that adolescents differed in their understanding of being European and that it is important to consider critically how youth understand Europeanness to understand European identity’s effect on intergroup relations.