Group identity in politics: perceptions of intergroup identification in the European Union referendum held in the UK and the US Presidential Election of 2016

Nayyar, Daniella (2023). Group identity in politics: perceptions of intergroup identification in the European Union referendum held in the UK and the US Presidential Election of 2016. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to examine how voters make sense of their political choices, comparing established versus newly-formed political groups, to understand more about the role of identity in political competitions. I examined the US Presidential Election of 2016 as an example of a longstanding political competition, and the European Union Referendum held in the UK as an example of newly created voting categorisations. I adopted a mixed methods design (surveys and focus groups) to compare the European Union Referendum and US Presidential Election political groups on perceptions of identity, activation of intergroup bias, positive distinctiveness, and identity integration. I found that perceptions of intergroup identification and intergroup bias were shown in both the UK - EU Referendum groups as well as the US Election but that these patterns were stronger in the more established US Election groups. Additionally, I found that identification and intergroup bias perceptions were active in both of the political events though stronger in the established groups than newly-formed. Further, the data provides evidence that the identity (motivations, values) of the group interacts with the establishment of the group to create variations in intergroup perceptions. The conclusion drawn is that political groups go through the process of identity establishment but that this affects their perceptions in different ways, depending upon their motivations, values, and group identity. The implication of this is that we gain a deeper understanding of what is differentiating political groups in the same competitions and what is similar across groups in different competitions.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):