Abstract
The concept of national identity has been used in a wide range of theoretical studies in social sciences. The diversity of the contexts in which this concept has been applied, however, might have resulted in a lack of common understanding as to what exactly constitutes the concept of national identity. Hence, the aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the structure of the concept to clarify the components of national identity. In past research, the term “national identity” was employed to refer to the following : (1) national membership identification, (2) national pride, (3) ethnocentrism, and (4) xenophobia. Using the Japanese sample of the 1995 ISSP data, items relating to national identity were factor analyzed. The results confirmed the above components as constituent factors of national identity. However, “national pride” was found to consist of two distinct dimensions : political and cultural. Analyses further revealed an additional factor, namely, “orientation towards internationalization.” Interpretation of each component, as well as the relationships between components, pointed to certain aspects unique to the Japanese society.
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