Who’s the most American? Psychological studies show that many people are biased and think it’s a white English speaker

The US and other countries have a legal definition of citizenship, yet human psychology and identity politics result in ingrained biases over who truly belongs.

By: Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 11, 2026

Words: 981

Last Updated: 1 week, 4 days ago

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By Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago

In the U.S. and elsewhere, nationality tends to be defined by a set of legal parameters. This may involve birthplace, parental citizenship or procedures for naturalization.

Yet in many Americans’ minds these objective notions of citizenship are a little fuzzy, as social and developmental psychologists like me have documented. Psychologically, some people may just seem a little more American than others, based on factors such as race, ethnicity …

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