Professor Mark Pickup | Cultivating Canadian National Identity to Reduce Trump’s Influence on Social Norms

Professor Mark Pickup and his colleagues at Simon Fraser University conducted survey experiments to determine whether Trump’s impact on anti-immigration sentiments have spilled over into Canada. If so, they wanted to examine whether his influence could be reversed by appealing to the norms of Canadian national identity.

In the first survey experiment, Professor Pickup and his colleagues primed half of the respondents, by asking them to list five ways that Trump’s behaviour or beliefs differ from those of conventional politicians.

All respondents were then asked several questions to gauge their attitudes towards immigration. Individuals who were primed to think about Trump’s behaviour were less likely to expect disapproval for agreeing with an anti-immigrant statement. In other words, the norm against expressing anti-immigrant attitudes was weakened. They were also more likely to believe that it is acceptable to restrict immigration on the basis of religion.

In their second survey experiment, Professor Pickup’s team examined whether appealing to the norms of Canadian national identity could help to reverse Trump’s influence on social norms.

Canadians exhibit a strong national identity, viewing themselves as unique and superior to Americans. Therefore, in resisting American influences, Canadians may feel a reinforced sense of the difference and superiority that they value. This may be particularly true on the issue of immigration, as Canadians historically associate their national identity with norms of inclusivity and multiculturalism.

The team’s results show that appealing to the norms of the Canadian national identity can alleviate the “Trump Effect”. The results of their second survey experiment demonstrate that observing other Canadians associate inclusive attitudes with Canadian identity shifts attitudes in a pro-immigrant direction.

The idea that trendsetters in one country can weaken positive social norms in another is important. As such, it is equally important to understand how other sources of normative influence, like national identity, can counteract these pressures.