A longitudinal investigation of immigrant children’s ethnic and national identities

Abstract

How immigrants define their ethnicity and nationality is relevant for integration: They can identify with their ethnic group, the receiving society, and a combination of both. A longitudinal study with elementary-school children with migration background (N = 200; age 9-10) in Germany investigated the predictors and stability of ethnic and national identity. Ethnic identity was more highly endorsed than national identity. National and dual identity were compatible (i.e., positively related), whereas ethnic identity was compartmentalized (i.e., unrelated to national and dual identity). Contact with Germans predicted national identity over time, but not vice versa. Thus, the study contributes to a better understanding of multiple social identities of young ethnic minority children in light of social-psychological theories of social identity development.