Language, birthplace, customs and traditions, and finally faith: those are the most important indicators of one’s national identity. Pew Research Center has collected data from many countries and found out that language is the core of national identity, more important than birthright or nationality.
Millions of people have migrated from their homes to other countries in recent years. Larger numbers of immigrants and refugees have sparked concern in the world. Unease over the cultural, economic and security ramifications of immigration helped to fuel the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, encourage the idea of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and broaden support for right-wing populist parties in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
What it means to be a “true” American, Australian, German or other nationality have often highlighted the importance of a person being born in a particular country. But a Pew Research Center survey finds that people generally place a relatively low premium on a person’s birthplace. Only 13% of Australians, 21% of Canadians, 32% of Americans and a median of 33% of Europeans believe that it is very important for a person to be born in their country in order to be considered a true national.
More important parameter is certainly speaking the dominant language to be considered truly a national of that land. This includes a median of 77% in Europe and majorities in Japan (70%), the U.S. (70%), Australia (69%) and Canada (59%).
The survey also asked about the link between religious affiliation and national identity and there were some interesting results. Literally 0% of Young Germans Think Christianity is an “Important Part of Their National Identity.” The link between religion and nationality is of greatest consequence to those for whom religion plays a very important role in daily life. That’s why especially young people don’t think religion is an important part of one’s national identity. Men and women differ slightly on religion’s importance in American identity. More than a third (36%) of women say it is very important for a person to be a Christian; roughly a quarter (27%) of men concur.
About a third (32%) of people in the U.S. believe it is very important to be Christian to be considered truly American. People with a high school education or less (44%) are more than twice as likely as people with at least a college degree (19%) to voice the view that it is very important that one is Christian in order to be American. People ages 50 and older are significantly more likely than those ages 18 to 34 to say that being Christian is very important to national identity. It only shows that new and more educated generations give less importance to religion in everyday life and in their national identity.
Photo Credits: All About Religion
