Regional identity and support for restrictive attitudes on immigration. Evidence from a household population survey in Ghent (Belgium)

It has been argued that supporting a restrictive view on the inclusion of immigrants finds its origin in a localized feeling of group identity. We test this hypothesis with a household survey in the Belgian city of Ghent (n = 3735). The results show that local and national identities are salient, but also that regional, European, and cosmopolitan identities are supported simultaneously. Especially the regional, Flemish identity is strongly associated with a restrictive, ethnic attitude toward new groups in society. A European identity was not significantly associated with this restrictive attitude. Our conclusion is that not just the geographical scale of group identity is important in explaining anti-immigrant sentiments. The specific historical connotations of every geographical level should be considered. A comparison between generations, i.e. parents and their late adolescent children, suggests that this association between specific group identities and ethnic citizenship norms is equally present among younger cohorts.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

BOF-keylabel:ja

IOF-keylabel:ja

BOF-publication weight:1

CSS-citation score:2

Authors from:Higher Education

Toegankelijkheid:Open