As issues about culture and identity continue to be at the center of heated political debates in the U.S. and Europe, a new survey finds that views about national identity in the U.S., France, Germany, and the UK have become less restrictive and more inclusive in recent years. Compared with 2016, fewer now believe that to truly be American, French, German, or British, a person must be born in the country, must be a Christian, has to embrace national customs, or has to speak the dominant language.
People in all four nations have also become more likely to believe that immigrants want to adopt the customs and ways of life in their countries. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) now hold this opinion, up from 54% in 2018, and the share of the public expressing this view in Germany has jumped from 33% to 51% over the same time period.