How populism and nationalism challenge citizens’ understanding of citizenship norms? Empirical evidence from Italy

Scholars diverge on whether populism, often rooted in distinct nationalistic rhetoric, strengthens or erodes the foundational norms of good citizenship. Some argue that populists’ emphasis on a shared national identity fosters a sense of belonging and civic engagement, bolstering positive citizenship norms. Others contend that the identity politics of certain populists lead to exclusionary practices and a narrowing of the civic sphere. The discussion revolves around the degree to which populist narratives either uphold or challenge democratic values and inclusive citizenship, making it a pivotal area for understanding the evolving nature of civic consciousness in contemporary societies. Empirical evidence is often nuanced in this regard, revealing variations across different contexts and populations. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by offering a micro-level explanation of how and to what extent individual conceptions of nationhood and populism are integrated with various notions of good citizenship norms in the mass public perception. The main argument , according to the “Group Identity Lens Model”, is that different national identity components (e.g. civic vs. ethnic conceptions, national pride, patriotism) constitute the frame in which “people against elite” narratives become salient. In turn, populist attitudes influence adherence to specific good citizenship norms. National identity and populism are expected to play different roles, with a positive impact of national identity on norms of solidarity and a negative impact of populism on norms of loyalty/social order. Empirical analysis will be based on survey data from the ISSP 2023, which for the first time combined two previously distinct modules ― National Identity and Citizenship. In addition to incorporating the citizenship norms battery, the ISSP 2023 includes new questions on populism. This offers a unique opportunity to investigate (and disentangle) the relationship between national identity components, good citizenship norms, and populist attitudes. To test the hypotheses, a structural equation model will be specified comprising: 1) the measurement model, which includes latent variables concerning several dimensions of nationhood, populism, and good citizenship norms, and checks how much our conceptual refinement and operationalization of the constructs are consistent with the data; 2) the structural/causal model, which seeks to unravel to what extent symbolic national boundaries, together with populist attitudes, promote or inhibit support for specific citizenship norms (loyalty, solidarity). This would possibly reveal conceptual differences between dimensions of national identity as well as their distinctive relationships with populism and good citizenship norms. Finally, an invariance test will be carried out to check how the structure depicted by the model differs across generations and ideological profiles.