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Identifying with a Classically Liberal Nation: A Social Justice Perspective on Majority Opposition to
Jessica Gale1, Antoine Roblain2, Christian Staerklé1
1University of Lausanne, CH.
International Review of Social Psychology
|September 15, 2025
Summary
Native majorities often oppose multiculturalism due to a focus on individual justice beliefs over group-based ones. This research explains this opposition by linking national identity to individual responsibility in Western liberal societies.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Political Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Multiculturalism faces opposition from native majorities in Western liberal societies.
- This opposition is often framed as a conflict between group-based policies and individual justice principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain national majority opposition to multiculturalism.
- To investigate the role of national identity and justice beliefs in this opposition.
Main Methods:
- Correlational and experimental studies in Switzerland (N=91, N=172).
- Replication using representative Swiss data (N=1241) and Belgian data (N=362).
- Analysis of the relationship between national identification, individual responsibility, and opposition to multiculturalism.
Main Results:
- National identification is linked to opposition to multiculturalism.
- Belief in individual responsibility partially explains this link.
- Findings were consistent across different Western liberal societies and transcended ethnic conceptions of national identity.
Conclusions:
- National identity in liberal societies emphasizes individual justice beliefs.
- Opposition to multiculturalism among majorities stems from a preference for individual over group-based justice.
- This provides a new perspective on majority attitudes towards multiculturalism.
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