Do Those who Identify with Their Nation Always Dislike Immigrants?: An Examination of Citizenship Policy Effects

Abstract

This article challenges the common wisdom that national identification always leads to xenophobic attitudes toward immigrants. Analyzing cross-national survey data from dozens of countries reveals how the relations between national identification and xenophobic attitudes toward immigrants vary according to country citizenship policy. The more inclusive the citizenship regime, the weaker the relations are between national identification and xenophobia. In fact, in countries with full jus soli law there are, on average, negative relations between national identification and xenophobia while in other countries there are positive relations between the two. These findings are used to discuss the ways conceptions of nationhood are institutionalized in citizenship policy from a socio-psychological perspective.