Where are we coming from versus who we will become: The effect of priming different contents of European identity on cooperation |
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| Authors: | Francesco La Barbera Pia Cariota Ferrara Mihaela Boza |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Political Science, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy;2. Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania |
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| Abstract: | In two experiments, we investigated how priming European identity as common project versus common heritage affects participants' cooperation in a social dilemma; an additional aim was to explore the mediators involved in the process. In the first experiment, 82 students played a public good dilemma with a European bogus partner and then completed self‐report measures of identification with the European Union (EU), group‐based trust and collective interest. Results showed that priming a common project‐based but not a common heritage‐based European social identity fostered cooperative behaviour; this effect was mediated by two sequential mediators: the common project prime increased participants' strength of identification with EU (mediator 1) which, in turn, positively affected group‐based trust (mediator 2), fostering greater cooperation. Experiment 2 was conducted with a similar procedure on a sample of 124 students, using a different measure of trust and changing the order of mediators. Results supported those of previous experiment: Priming a project‐based EU identity content (compared to heritage‐based one) had significant direct and indirect effects on cooperation. |
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| Keywords: | European identity Social identity Cooperation Trust Common project |
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