Unity or Diversity? The Impact of National and Cosmopolitan Identities on Value Consensus

ABSTRACT How do national and cosmopolitan identities impact value consensus in the contemporary world? This study employs self‐categorization theory to argue that national identity serves as a salient social identity, offering individuals a comparative fit that facilitates the internalization of prototypical values. In contrast, cosmopolitan identity, which is viewed as a post‐national identity in this study, is considered non‐salient and fails to foster value consensus, as it cannot offer a comparative fit. Drawing on the Joint European Values Study/World Values Survey (EVS/WVS) 2017–2022 dataset, this study contributes to the ongoing debate with the following conclusions: first, higher national identity means within countries contribute to value consensus regarding conformity; second, neither national nor cosmopolitan identities' means influence value consensus concerning tradition; and third, elevated national identity means bolster value consensus on benevolence, while increased cosmopolitan identity means weaken value consensus on benevolence.