Ethnic Diversity and Implicit Conceptions of National Identity

Co-funded with the Carnegie Corporation

The U.S. population is more ethnically and racially diverse today than it has been at any point in its history. What are the implications of this diversity for interethnic relations? Does ethnic diversity foster a pluralistic and inclusive national identity or does it intensify the exclusion of minority groups? 

Social psychologists Thierry Devos, Melody Sadler and Kumar Yogeeswaran will combine data from the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey (ACS), and Project Implicit—a large-scale, web-based dataset that allows anyone to participate. They will test hypotheses about the relationships between temporal fluctuations in ethnic diversity and conceptions of national identity. They will also examine the extent to which these relations are moderated by different contexts, such as where respondents live, and individual characteristics, such as political orientation and ethnicity.