Project Details
Projekt
Identity and the Globalization Cleavage: How Citizens Form Identities and Vote under the Conditions of Identity Leadership
Applicants
Dr. Matthias Mader; Dr. Nils Steiner
Subject Area
Political Science
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 552288156
The project examines whether and how new social identities have become politically consequential in the course of globalization. In Germany, for example, the AfD appeals to "ordinary people" whom it distinguishes from a "globalist class"; in France, Marine Le Pen speaks of a "forgotten France" neglected by a "globalized elite”. So far, little is known about whether citizens identify with categories like these and what role such identities play in voting decisions. Existing political science research shows that globalization has led to the emergence of a new political divide in the political systems of Western Europe. This research has focused on the issue positions demanded by citizens and offered by politicians. Globalization-related social identities have received much less scholarly attention—although the formation of a group consciousness is considered a prerequisite for the establishment of stable lines of political conflict. Addressing this research gap, the project aims to answer several related questions: To what extent are new globalization-related identities present at the citizen level? Who identifies with which categories? And are these new identities relevant for voting decisions? Particular attention is paid to the role of political elites: Using targeted communication, can they influence the formation of these identities in their favor and ensure that citizens make their electoral decisions in accordance with these identities? To answer these questions, the project develops a theoretical framework that integrates theories from political science and social psychology: Cleavage theory, on the one hand, and social identity theory, in particular the concept of identity leadership, on the other. Empirically, the project will conduct population surveys in four carefully selected countries (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands) to gain in-depth insights into the prevalence and form of globalization-related identities in Western Europe. For this purpose, measurement instruments will be developed and utilized to comprehensively capture globalization-related identities. A panel data component will allow, for the first time, to study the stability of these identities. Finally, innovative survey experiments will simulate the identity-related rhetoric of political elites to study its effects on identity formation and activation. This project’s findings will add to the body of knowledge in political sociology, political psychology, and comparative politics. At the same time, the findings will inform broader societal debates about how nationalist and populist sentiments are mobilized in ways that threaten the cohesion and openness of Western societies, and how this can be countered.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
France, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom
