The Immigrant Song: National Identity and Attitudes Toward Immigrants – The Mediating Role of Secure and Defensive In-group Identity

This research examines the role of various forms of national identity in predicting anti-immigrant attitudes based on the national identity module of a large cross-national dataset (International Social Survey Programme 2013). We show, across 22 European countries, that the relationship between a general measure of national identity and out-group discrimination is mediated by two forms of national attachment: nationalism and patriotism. While both forms are positively related to national identity, they affect attitudes towards immigrants in different ways. Nationalism is positively associated with discriminatory intentions, while patriotism is negatively associated with them. Both effects cancel one another out.