Nationalism and Constructive Patriotism: A Longitudinal Test of Comparability in 22 Countries with the ISSP

In: International journal of public opinion research, Band 23, Heft 1, S. 88-103

Abstract

This study examines the longitudinal comparability of measurements of nationalism and constructive patriotism across 22 countries during the period between 1995 and 2003. Using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) and data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), I assess configural and metric invariance -- necessary conditions for the comparability of correlates of the concepts over time, and scalar invariance -- a necessary condition for mean comparison over time. Thus, the current contribution has the principal objective of testing whether two aspects of national attachment, nationalism and CP, are equivalent over time. Subjecting their measurements to such a test may enable researchers to meaningfully estimate change over time. Before conducting the empirical test, a brief review of the literature is presented. Adapted from the source document.