Terrorist violence and the fuzzy frontier: national and supranational identities in Britain

Abstract

We explore the effect of terrorism on individuals’ perceptions about national identity in the context of Great Britain, where national and supranational identities overlap. We find that exposure to terrorist attacks strengthens identification with Britain but has no effect on identification with its constituent nations. The estimated effects last for about 45 days, but subside over time as the threat fades away. We also find that exposure to terrorism leads to more positive attitudes toward the European Union, providing further support for the emergence of a supranational-unity effect. Overall, our results differ from numerous previous studies on how violence reinforces “hardline beliefs,” exacerbating nativism and “narrow” forms of solidarity (JEL D70; F50; Z10).