What does it mean to be European? How identity content shapes adolescent's views towards immigrants and support for the EU
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7971872 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna-Maria Mayer (0000-0002-8562-5418, Institute of Psychology University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany), Astrid Körner (0009-0001-4059-1592, Departement of Psychology Friedrich‐Schiller‐University Jena Jena Germany), Philipp Jugert (0000-0003-4313-0596, Institute of Psychology University of Duisburg‐Essen Essen Germany) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 865-883 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0162-895X • E-ISSN: 1467-9221 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/pops.13041 |
| OpenAlex | W4402990137 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 43 |
Adolescents support Eurosceptic and far‐right movements more and more. Since adolescents' years are a formative period for political orientations, it is important to promote a shared sense of belonging together among Europeans to counteract these tendencies. This could be achieved by fostering a European identity, however, only if its content is civically defined. We examined adolescents' understandings of being European, and how they relate to intolerance, EU support, and other predictors. Our sample included 1206 German adolescents (51% female, Age: M = 14.4, SD = .6, 27% ethnic minority adolescents). European identity was assessed via open answers and five closed questions. We conducted latent class analysis to identify identity classes. Three classes emerged: a living‐based (47%), a culture & value‐based (27%), and an ancestry‐based class (26%). Classes did not differ regarding EU support, but regarding intolerance (highest: ancestry‐based, lowest: culture & value‐based). Our results indicate that German adolescents differed in their understanding of being European and that it is important to consider how youth define Europeanness to understand European identity's effect on their views. Furthermore, our study argues for assessing identity openly to capture nuances of identity content adequately
Content (measure theory · Content analysis · Identity (music · Immigration · Political science · Social science · Sociology · European Politics and Security · Law · Mathematics · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
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The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology
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Capturing the dynamics of identity formation in various ethnic groups
Deciding on the Number of Classes in Latent Class Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling
Estimating the Dimension of a Model
Rediscovering the Social Group
A Community of Europeans?
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The (conceptions of) European identity of pupils in the border region of Rhineland-Palatinate
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Forms of National and European Identity
Community Service and Political Identity Development in Adolescence
In God we Trust? Identity, Institutions and International Solidarity in Europe
National and European Identity Formation
Seeking refuge in a superordinate group
European identity as a unifying category
Nested identities
Cognitive Mobilization and European Identity
Stability of National‐Identity Content
Beyond the Ethnic‐Civic Dichotomy
On what citizens mean by feeling 'European
Demonstrating Rigor Using Thematic Analysis
Latent Class Analysis
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |