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beliefs about their multiethnic society and about core American values, such as individualism
and egalitarianism (Citrin et al. 1994; Citrin, Reingold, and Green 1990; Citrin, Wong, and Duff
2001). This research tradition emphasizes an important part of national identity, but it is only one
part. What is ignored in this work, as well as work on patriotism, is people’s sense of
identification with their fellow Americans, that is, with the people in their national group (but see
Conover 1995 on citizen identities). In essence, political scientists have ignored the social aspect
of national identity, the sense of being part of a group. Social psychologists who study group
identity emphasize both the content of the identity – the norms and values held by the group – as
well as identification with fellow group members. We know very little about this latter aspect.
What do Americans think of the American people and, most important, to what extent do they
identify with that social group? I propose that we need to determine not just the values and norms
that influence national identity nor just citizens’ love of their country but also attachment to the
group of people who make up the national collective. That is the “we” that, I argue, guides much
of people’s national attitudes and behaviors.
I begin by discussing the research in political science on patriotism and national values. I
argue that researchers have ignored people’s attachment to their fellow citizens and turn to the
social psychological work on group identity and commitment to fill this gap. I then examine who
is most likely to be committed to their national group and what effects commitment has on how
they assess their fellow Americans and their nation. Strongly identifying with one’s fellow
citizens likely has many positive consequences, such as viewing group members positively and
being willing to lend a helping hand to fellow group members when such help is needed. But a
strong group identification can exhibit a negative side as well. Weak identifiers may be more
Convention