Dual citizenship and the perceived loyalty of immigrants

Abstract

This survey experiment examined national majority group members’ reactions to immigrants’ citizenship status with a focus on dual citizenship. A sample of 779 participants (nFinland = 174; nNetherlands = 377; nGermany = 228) was used to examine whether immigrants’ citizenship status affects trust towards immigrants, willingness to accept immigrants in strategic positions, and support for immigrants’ social influence in society. Perceived group loyalties were expected to mediate these relationships. Compared to national citizens, dual citizens were perceived as having lower national loyalty and higher foreign loyalty. Compared to foreign citizens, dual citizens were perceived to have higher national loyalty but equally high foreign loyalty. Higher national loyalty was further associated with higher trust, acceptance, and support, whereas higher foreign loyalty was associated with lower trust, acceptance, and support. These findings are discussed in relation to societal debates on dual citizenship and the limited social psychological research on this topic.