Beyond national identity: The positive role of local identity in shaping attitudes to international and internal migration

Abstract

Research on the link between social identification and attitudes toward immigration has primarily focused on national identification and international migrants, often overlooking the local level. Combining social identity theory and a place identity perspective on intergroup dynamics, we examine national and local identification, as well as their interplay, as determinants of attitudes toward international and internal migration. Our analysis is based on nationally representative samples from Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia (N = 10,765) from the Central European Social Survey (2021–2022). We found that national identity was associated with more negative attitudes toward international migration, but not internal migration. In contrast, local identity was linked to more welcoming attitudes toward both international and internal migration, and it neutralized the negative effect of national identity on attitudes toward international migration. Overall, our findings highlight the inclusive role of local identity in shaping immigration attitudes, particularly in contexts characterized by high anti-immigrant sentiment.