Parents' and children's understanding of their own and others' national identity: The importance of including the family in the national group

Abstract

AbstractWe investigate the role of parents and family in driving children's understanding of their own national identity and their attitudes to other national groups in an increasingly diverse nation. Given the ethical and practical difficulties of sourcing children and their parents, we conducted our study with families visiting the National Museum of Ireland where displays about the Irish state's history facilitated the study of banal issues of Irishness and nationality. Our study included 34 families: 76 children and 46 parents. Parents completed self‐report measures of national identity continuity, national identity strength, and their family's Irishness. Children completed self‐report measures on their family's Irishness, their exploration of national identity, and attitudes to other national groups. National identity continuity and strength drove parents' sense of their family's Irishness. Amongst children, perceiving one's family as Irish, together with higher reported exploration of national identity, impacted on children's attitudes to other national groups. Children with the strongest sense of Irish national identity were most interested in identity exploration and other national practises. We add to the literature findings on the interconnection between parent and child identity and the role of the family in driving interest in national identity and other national groups.