We are ready to accept some, while pushing away others (primarily those who are completely unlike us and cannot become a 'real' German, Briton, American). National identity is an issue colored by right-wing populist rhetoric in politics, but in sociology it becomes at least a subject of serious research. Specialists from the American independent research center Pew Research set out to find out: whom does the population of Western countries consider 'one of us'?
The representative survey was conducted against the backdrop of the growing immigration crisis in 14 countries. As part of the study, sociologists surveyed over 14,000 people who had the opportunity to express their views on national identity from several perspectives: place of birth, proficiency in the language of the country of residence, adherence to local customs and traditions, and religious affiliation.
It turned out that place of birth plays an increasingly smaller role in the perception of 'us vs. them.' For example, only 13% of German citizens believe it is important to be born in Germany to be a 'real' German. Among European countries, this figure is lower only in Sweden at 8%, and higher almost everywhere else: from the Netherlands (16%), France (25%), Great Britain (32%), and Spain (34%) to Poland and Italy (42% each), Greece (50%), and Hungary, where 52% of the population believe one must be born in the country to be a true Hungarian. This view is shared by an average of 33% of Europeans, 32% of Americans, 21% of Canadians, 13% of Australians, and half of Japan's population. The higher the educational level of respondents, the less they see a connection between place of birth and the possibility of belonging to the 'titular nation.'
Respondents generally consider language proficiency to be key to national identity: 77% of Europeans and 70% of Americans view this factor as the most important in terms of the right to claim citizenship of the country of residence. Knowledge of the language is especially important to the Dutch (84%), less so to Italians (59%); in Germany, 79% of Pew Research respondents consider proficiency in German very important, and only two percent of the population believe it is not important at all.
The desire and ability to share local values, culture, traditions, and customs of the country of residence have for decades been considered extremely important for belonging to 'real' Germans, French, or Britons: as survey results show, this factor is not as important for many Europeans. Only 48% of us see a connection between national identity and local culture, with a wide variation across the continent: this connection is important for 68% of Greeks and 66% of Hungarians, but only for 29% of Germans and 26% of Swedes.
The older the respondents and the more they hold right-wing political views, the more often they draw parallels between belonging to 'one's own' and sharing national values and habits.
Finally, the religious question is the least significant in terms of national identity and attitudes toward it in Europe, America, or Australia. Only one in fifteen respondents believes it is important to be a Christian to be considered 'one of us.' In the US, this connection is particularly strong: 32% of Americans are willing to recognize only Christians as 'real Americans.' In Germany, only 11% of the population pays attention to faith; in Greece, 54% would recognize only a Christian as a 'real' Greek; in France, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, and Hungary, this figure ranges from 21% to 40%. Unsurprisingly, young people, non-believers, and adherents of left-wing political traditions are more likely to overlook religious affiliation.
Summing up, it is worth noting that Germans approached the sociologists' questions with truly German rationality and moderation. For residents of Germany, it is most important that newcomers can speak the same language as us, while they attach far less importance to issues of culture, religion, and place of birth than many of their European neighbors.
Maxim Smirnov.
'Russkaya Germaniya'