Who's More American? We Are: Motivated National Identity and Status Competition in the National Hierarchy

• In Event: 30268 - Political Identities and Ideologies in the United States

Abstract

How do racial groups perceive their relative status in the American national hierarchy? Drawing on original survey data from a nationally representative sample of Black, Latino, and Asian adults (YouGov 2022), this study introduces the concept of Motivated National Identity to explain how groups actively construct and contest definitions of national belonging to enhance their status position. Rather than sharing a common understanding of group positions, each racial group perceives the hierarchy differently and emphasizes aspects of American identity that align with their perceived strengths. Black Americans uniquely position themselves at the apex of the hierarchy while emphasizing nativity-based claims, whereas Asian and Latino Americans acknowledge White primacy but stress creedal characteristics like work ethic where they rate their groups highly. Using an innovative ranking methodology that reveals how groups prioritize different dimensions of national belonging, this study demonstrates that groups systematically emphasize criteria that maximize their position while downplaying dimensions where they face disadvantages. These findings challenge traditional assumptions about how immigration status shapes perceptions of national belonging and reveal significant barriers to minority group coalition formation.

Author

• Victoria Asbury-Kimmel, New York University