What does the general national pride item measure? Insights from web probing

Abstract

The general national pride question is a popular item in cross-national studies of national identity. Although it is a single-item indicator, researchers use it as a proxy for different aspects of national identity, such as national belonging, different forms of patriotism, and nationalism. This article evaluates the suitability of this item as a cross-national indicator for these aspects of national identity. It assesses which aspects of national identity respondents have in mind when providing a response to this item, whether these associations differ across countries, and how well the item works as a measure for the different aspects of national identity. By means of web probing results from a web survey conducted in five countries (Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Spain, and the United States), we reveal that the general national pride is not a suitable proxy single-item indicator for specific aspects of national identity in a cross-national context because respondents associate different aspects of national identity with this item (issue of validity) and these associations differ across countries (issue of comparability). In addition, we uncovered several problem types that distorted the answer selection of respondents (issue of reliability). The vagueness of this item and the associated issues make the general national pride item a rather problematic cross-national indicator for specific elements of national identity. In addition, this study illustrates the potential of web probing for evaluating the measurement quality of single-item indicators.