Concerns about the state of democracy have surged amongst new evidence that many citizens do not value democratic principles or accept election results. Many suggest that at the core of these anti-democratic beliefs is a dismissal of some voters – ethnic minorities – as lesser members of the nation. This project asks: “Can increasing the perceived centrality of ethnic minorities to the nation strengthen citizens’ commitment to democratic principles?”

According to my theoretical framework, individuals are motivated – perhaps increasingly so, due to growing inter-group polarization – to sacrifice democratic principles in favor of partisan and policy outcomes that favor their interests. The project posits that one way individuals justify sacrificing these principles is by dismissing the votes and rights of oppositional groups that they perceive as peripheral, second-class citizens with a lesser claim to the nation. In this way, perceived hierarchies of national belonging can help individuals to justify supporting undemocratic measures.

In experiments in India and the United States, the project will explore whether inclusive historical narratives can shift minorities’ perceived place in the nation and majority members’ commitment to democratic principles.