Who Deserves British Citizenship?

• In Event: 2229 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable #11

Abstract

Who deserves British citizenship? This is a question that has been widely addressed by political and philosophical literature. Yet, little empirical work has investigated the preferences of the majority population. We make use of a choice-based conjoint-analysis experiment design on a representative sample of 1,648 British citizens to indirectly ask this question. Respondents had to each choose whether to grant naturalisation to 10 profiles of fictitious applicants. The method allows to estimate the average effect of each profile characteristic (e.g. religious beliefs) on the probability of being granted naturalisation. First estimates of average marginal component effects indicate that occupational status is the attribute that affects the probability of being granted citizenship the most, the unemployed suffering from a heavy penalty and doctors enjoying an advantage. British ancestry, longer length of residence and higher English proficiency increase the probability of being assigned citizenship. Contrary to expectations, there is no significant difference between countries of origin except for Ireland and Australia, which enhance the likelihood of being selected for citizenship. Respondents were less likely to choose profiles of Muslim religion as opposed to Christian ones. More analysis will indicate if these average effects vary according to respondent characteristics such as voting behaviour (e.g. Brexit). Complete findings will enhance our understanding of what factors are considered central to national belonging.

Authors

• Victoria Donnaloja, The lse

• Lucinda Platt, London School of Economics