National identification of immigrants and natives in the Netherlands

This study examines to what extent immigrants and natives identify with the Netherlands. We use survey data of more than 1700 Turkish and Moroccan immigrants and more than 2200 natives. We answer four main questions in this study. First, do immigrants have lower national identification than natives? Second, does the level of national identification differ between immigrant groups? Third, does economic participation similarly affect national identification among immigrants and natives? And fourth, what are important determinants of national identification among immigrants? The results show that, compared to Dutch natives, Turkish but not Moroccan immigrants have lower national identification. Being employed is associated with higher national identification among immigrants as well as natives, but only among immigrants is higher occupational status associated with higher national identification. Results further show that for immigrants, the most important determinants of national identification are Dutch language proficiency, perceived discrimination, and contact with natives.