Exploring the Link Between American Identity and Anti-Muslim Policy Preferences

• In Event: Identity and Diversity in Anti-Pluralist Times

Abstract

What is the relationship between American identity and attitudes towards policies that aim to marginalize Muslims domestic and foreign? Previous work has found that American identity is typically associated with exclusionary attitudes toward immigrants. However, recent research suggests that inclusive elements of American identity could be primed to engender opposition towards policies that aim to harm Muslims. Absent significant priming of inclusive elements of American identity, we hypothesize that high American identifiers are much more likely than their counterparts to endorse a series of anti-Muslim policies that stand at odds with cherished American values of religious liberty and equality. Drawing on five original public opinion surveys spanning from year 2016 to 2020, we find support for our hypothesis; American identity is strongly linked to the desire to curb or eliminate the civil liberties of Muslims. We further find that American identity is a particularly important predictor in explaining the endorsement of anti-democratic policies among self-identified Democrats, who typically hold more progressive policy positions than their Republican counterparts. Overall, our study underscores the importance of studying national identities empirically, particularly as it relates to better understanding hostility towards Muslims in the U.S and abroad.

Authors

• Kassra AR Oskooii, University of Delaware

• Nazita Lajevardi, Michigan State University