I, Too, Am America: displaying national symbols on clothing increases the perceived ethnic and civic nationalism of Latinx Americans.

Abstract

Latinx Americans are often stereotyped as perpetual foreigners, perceived as low in both ethnic nationalism (shared heritage and language) and civic nationalism (commitment to national ideals). We examine whether displaying national symbols on clothing affects perceptions of their nationalism. In Study 1 (N = 302), participants rated images of a White or Latinx man wearing a U.S. Army symbol or no symbol. The Latinx man was rated lower in both types of nationalism compared to the White man. However, displaying a national symbol increased perceptions of civic nationalism for both, and ethnic nationalism specifically for the Latinx man. Study 2 (N = 301) replicated these results, showing that a Latinx man wearing an American flag was perceived as higher in ethnic and civic nationalism than without a symbol. These findings demonstrate that trait-related symbols can influence the traits and behaviors attributed to members of groups stereotypically perceived as lacking them.