Evaluations of Patriotism across Countries, Groups, and Policy Domains

Numerous studies have examined the level of patriotism across countries, the factors that shape patriotic feelings, and the ways in which diverse dimensions of patriotism are related to a broad set of attitudes and behaviors. Citizen evaluation of patriotism, in particular in the context of majorities and minorities, has seldom been investigated, however. Exploring this issue, this paper discusses the ways in which majorities and minorities view the consequences of patriotism and whether their attitudes are affected by inclusive state policies. Analyzing public views of patriotism across countries, it found: a) that patriotism is viewed more positively than negatively in nearly all the countries included in the survey; b) on average, majorities hold more positive views of patriotism than minorities; c) minorities in countries governed by more exclusive policies tend to regard patriotism more negatively than those in countries governed by more inclusive policies; and d) the more inclusive the policy, the more negatively majorities perceive patriotism. These findings are discussed in light of the normative debate regarding patriotism.