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E Pluribus Whom? The Limitations of American Identity in Reducing Racial Conflict.

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Title: E Pluribus Whom? The Limitations of American Identity in Reducing Racial Conflict.
Authors: Versteegen, Peter Luca (AUTHOR), Syropoulos, Stylianos (AUTHOR)
Source: Political Behavior. Jun2026, Vol. 48 Issue 2, p799-822. 24p.
Subjects: American identity, Racial minorities, Multiculturalism, Partisanship, Ethnic conflict, African Americans, Group identity
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: When diversification becomes salient, a sizable share of white Americans experiences status threat and reacts with backlash. In this paper, we argue that status threat arises because white Americans tend to perceive racial minorities as competing outgroups, not as fellow Americans. Building on recent research suggesting that shared American identity primes can reduce partisan conflict, we test whether reminders of a shared American identity may reduce status threat and thus mitigate subsequent backlash. Across four experiments (total N = 4,062), we replicate status threat as the key mechanism between diversification salience and backlash. Despite various American identity primes and accounting for confounding variables, however, we find little indication that a shared American identity could reduce racial (and, in exploratory analyses, partisan) conflict in America. We discuss the implications for future research and the practical use of a shared American identity when little remains that is shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Political Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: E Pluribus Whom? The Limitations of American Identity in Reducing Racial Conflict.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Versteegen%2C+Peter+Luca%22">Versteegen, Peter Luca</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Syropoulos%2C+Stylianos%22">Syropoulos, Stylianos</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22American+identity%22">American identity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+minorities%22">Racial minorities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multiculturalism%22">Multiculturalism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Partisanship%22">Partisanship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnic+conflict%22">Ethnic conflict</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22African+Americans%22">African Americans</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+identity%22">Group identity</searchLink>
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  Data: When diversification becomes salient, a sizable share of white Americans experiences status threat and reacts with backlash. In this paper, we argue that status threat arises because white Americans tend to perceive racial minorities as competing outgroups, not as fellow Americans. Building on recent research suggesting that shared American identity primes can reduce partisan conflict, we test whether reminders of a shared American identity may reduce status threat and thus mitigate subsequent backlash. Across four experiments (total N = 4,062), we replicate status threat as the key mechanism between diversification salience and backlash. Despite various American identity primes and accounting for confounding variables, however, we find little indication that a shared American identity could reduce racial (and, in exploratory analyses, partisan) conflict in America. We discuss the implications for future research and the practical use of a shared American identity when little remains that is shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Political Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1007/s11109-025-10050-6
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: American identity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racial minorities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multiculturalism
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      – SubjectFull: Partisanship
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              Text: Jun2026
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