Doctoral Dissertation Research: Public Opinions and National Identification Shifts

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Doctoral Dissertation Research: Public Opinions and National Identification ShiftsSES - 1102587Dr. Andreas Wimmer (PI)Yuval Feinstein (co-PI)University of California, Los AngelesAbstractPublic opinion about the U.S. president and presidential policies usually reflects basic social and ideological divisions related to e.g., partisanship, religion, education, income, age, sex, and race. Occasionally, however, wars and security crises can boost a president's job approval rating. This shift in political attitudes happens when an international conflict situation causes people to experience higher levels of identification with the nation. As a result, support for the commander-in-chief tends to cut across fault lines that normally shape public attitudes. This study seeks an answer to the following questions: How do international crisis that cause people to identify more strongly with their nation affect people's emotional responses? How do these emotions, in turn, affect people's attitudes toward the president and foreign policy? To answer these questions, the project uses the international turmoil around Iran's nuclear program as a case study. The methodology relies on a survey-based experiment involving a representative sample of adult American citizens. Participants are presented with different vignettes in the survey that allow us to test whether nationalist priming affects individuals' reactions to news about an international crisis situation, and whether the way the conflict is framed affects people's responses. Broader ImpactsThis study will contribute to the literature on nationalism, as well as social movements and emotions. In addition, findings from this study may help us understand the mechanisms through which national identification affects political attitudes at individual and collective levels. This could shape strategies used by various political interest groups.