A sense of belonging in a country hinges on speaking the local language for many people around the world, new research says.

A study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found that more people see language as very important to national identity than see being born in their country or sharing its customs and traditions as important.

The factor cited as least important was being a member of the historically predominant religion.

The study is the result of surveys of 65,000 people conducted in 36 countries in 2023 and 2024.

“In many countries, attitudes about these aspects of national identity vary by age, education and ideology. This includes in the United States, where conservatives and liberals are deeply divided on what makes someone truly American,” the study says.

In several countries, people with less education are also more likely to see language as very important to national belonging, it says.

“Globally, large majorities say speaking the country’s most common language is at least somewhat important for true belonging. And in many countries, large shares see this as very important,” the study says.

But views on the importance of language to national belonging vary by age, education and ideology.

In many countries, older people are more likely than younger people to see language as highly important to national identity.

Seventy-two per cent of adults aged 40 and older in the Netherlands say that speaking Dutch is very important, compared with 45 per cent of adults under 40. 

In several countries, people with less education are also more likely to see language as very important to national belonging, the study found.

Some of the biggest demographic differences, however, are related to ideology. In many countries, people on the ideological right are significantly more likely than people on the left to say speaking the local language is very important to national belonging.

In the US, conservatives are 50 per centage points more likely than liberals to say speaking English is very important for being truly American.

In several European countries surveyed, supporters of right-wing parties are also more likely to see language as very important to national identity.

In Sweden, for example, supporters of the Sweden Democrats are 40 points more likely than non-supporters to say that speaking Swedish is very important for being truly Swedish.

Majorities around the world also say following local customs and traditions is at least somewhat important for true belonging. But views differ widely over whether this is ‘very’ important.

People in middle-income countries are more likely than those in high-income countries to see customs and traditions as very important.

“In middle-income Indonesia, for example, 79 per cent of adults say following their country’s customs and traditions is very important for national belonging. Far fewer adults express this view in high-income Australia (40 per cent), Singapore (39 per cent) or Japan (23 per cent),” the report says.

The study found that older people tend to value customs more than younger people do. Italians aged 40 and older, for instance, are about twice as likely as younger Italian adults (50 per cent vs 24 per cent) to say it is very important to follow local customs and traditions to be truly Italian.

People with less education and those on the ideological right are also particularly likely to see customs and traditions as very important.

“In the US, 54 per cent of conservatives – compared with 14 per cent of liberals – say sharing in American customs is very important to national belonging. This 40-point difference is the largest ideological divide across all the countries surveyed,” the study says.

In Europe, people who support populist parties are more likely than those who do not to place importance on local customs and traditions.

In the UK supporters of Reform UK are 35 points more likely than non-supporters (55 per cent vs 20 per cent) to say following local customs and traditions is very important to being truly British.

Views on the importance of birthplace to national identity are mixed, the study found.

“In most high-income countries – which are often home to sizeable immigrant populations – fewer than half of adults say that being born in their country is very important for true belonging,” the study says.

In most countries surveyed, views on this question vary by education. People with less education are significantly more likely to say that being born in their country is very important to being a true national, the study found.

Views also vary by ideology and age, the study found.

“In many countries, people on the ideological right are more likely than those on the ideological left to see birthplace as a key facet of national identity,” the study said.

“And as with the other aspects of national identity, supporters of European right-wing populist parties are more likely to say being born in their country is very important for being a true national. For example, in Spain, over half of adults who support the Vox party say that being born in Spain is very important to being truly Spanish. Only a quarter of other Spaniards share this view.

“Older adults are also generally more likely than younger people to say being born in the country is very important for being a true national,” the study said.

The data for Australia shows 50 per cent of people see speaking English as important, 40 per cent cited observing customs and traditions but only 8 per cent said being born in the country was important to a sense of belonging.

Read the full report: Views of language, birthplace, customs, religion as parts of national identity | Pew Research Center