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Identity choices and perceptions of discrimination: How “becoming American” affects trust and obligation
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August 15, 2006
Identity choices and perceptions of discrimination: How “becoming American” affects
trust and obligation
Deborah Schildkraut
Department of Political Science
Tufts University, Eaton Hall
Medford, MA 20155
deborah.## email not listed ##
Abstract: This paper tests claims of immigration critics who fear that immigrants and their descendants fail to adopt an American identity and who warn of the negative political consequences this failure will bring. It examines whether one’s primary identification with a panethnic group, a national origin group, or as American affects one’s trust in government, trust in law enforcement, and one’s sense of obligation to the United States. I show first that fears of widespread rejection of an American self-identification are overblown. Then I show that among Americans of all backgrounds, one’s primary self-identification largely fails to influence trust and obligation. Instead, perceptions of group-level and individual discrimination are more damaging. In some cases, the damaging effects of discrimination can be mitigated by identifying with the aggrieved group. Absent perceptions of discrimination, one’s primary self-identification is often of little consequence. When such perceptions are present, a non-American identification can be beneficial with regard to trust, less so with obligation. These findings raise important questions about when – and whether – the adoption of an American self-identification is desirable. Prepared for delivery at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 31 - September 3, 2006. Copyright by the American Political Science Association.
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| | Authors: Schildkraut, Deborah. |
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August 15, 2006
Identity choices and perceptions of discrimination: How “becoming American” affects
trust and obligation
Deborah Schildkraut
Department of Political Science
Tufts University, Eaton Hall
Medford, MA 20155
deborah.## email not listed ##
Abstract:
This paper tests claims of immigration critics who fear that immigrants and their descendants fail
to adopt an American identity and who warn of the negative political consequences this failure
will bring. It examines whether one’s primary identification with a panethnic group, a national
origin group, or as American affects one’s trust in government, trust in law enforcement, and
one’s sense of obligation to the United States. I show first that fears of widespread rejection of an
American self-identification are overblown. Then I show that among Americans of all
backgrounds, one’s primary self-identification largely fails to influence trust and obligation.
Instead, perceptions of group-level and individual discrimination are more damaging. In some
cases, the damaging effects of discrimination can be mitigated by identifying with the aggrieved
group. Absent perceptions of discrimination, one’s primary self-identification is often of little
consequence. When such perceptions are present, a non-American identification can be
beneficial with regard to trust, less so with obligation. These findings raise important questions
about when – and whether – the adoption of an American self-identification is desirable.
Prepared for delivery at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association,
August 31 - September 3, 2006. Copyright by the American Political Science Association.
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