National Identity and Globalization: Findings from Cross-National Surveys

The impact of globalization on national identity is accounted for by various theoretical perspectives, while the empirical studies also reveal contradictory results. While some have suggested that globalization prompts a decline in national identity, others maintain that it reinforces national identity. Rather than seeking to offer a novel theoretical perspective, this chapter set out to examine nationalism ‘from below’ in an attempt to ascertain whether globalization is related to different dimensions of national identity. The key findings from cross-national surveys analyses demonstrated that higher levels of globalization are negatively related to patriotism and ethnic identity. This chapter illustrates that any definitive conclusions concerning the relationship between globalization and national identity cannot be justified. It may well be that different measures of national identity or globalization will lead to different findings, especially when considering the evolving and changing multidimensional nature of national identity.