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).

中文翻译：

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恐怖主义暴力和模糊边界：英国的民族和超民族身份

我们探讨了在英国的背景下恐怖主义对个人对国家身份认知的影响，因为英国的国家身份和超国家身份是重叠的。我们发现，遭受恐怖袭击会加强对英国的认同，但不会影响对其组成国家的认同。估计影响会持续约 45 天，但随着威胁的消失而逐渐减弱。我们还发现，接触恐怖主义会导致人们对欧盟的态度更加积极，从而为超国家团结效应的出现提供进一步的支持。总体而言，我们的结果与之前关于暴力如何强化“强硬信仰”、加剧本土主义和“狭隘”团结形式的众多研究不同（JEL D70；F50；Z10）。