It’s always wonderful to wake up to a headline like this.
A recent BBC World Service poll shows that people are increasingly choosing to identify as ‘global’ citizens first and foremost. Moving beyond a perspective that focusses on borders and national differences, more and more people are embracing an identity as citizens of the world. It's important to note that a sense of "global citizenship" does not replace a person's identity as belonging to a certain nation - rather, it is in addition to that national identity that a person feels a sense of connected responsibility to the whole world.
This is not simply a shameless plug (you are reading "Global Citizen" after all), so don’t just take our word for it. A poll conducted by GlobeScan asked 20,000 respondents in 18 countries whether they consider themselves to be global citizens. The answers are not always clear cut nor uniform, but point to an overall optimistic future for the world with a strong sense of planetwide citizenship. Here’s a breakdown of the results.
1) The concept of global citizenship is most popular in emerging economies
More than half the respondents in emerging countries saw themselves primarily as global rather than national citizens.
Over 70% of those asked in Nigeria, China and Peru identified themselves as global citizens, while 67% of people in India agreed.
By contrast, people in richer countries seem less keen to embrace the notion of global citizenship. In the UK, USA, Germany and Russia, fewer than 50% of people currently identify as global citizens. In the face of global challenges like the refugee crisis, climate change, or exteme poverty, the trend towards inward-looking attitudes should serve as a warning against complacency.
2) Out of all European countries, Spanish people are the most enthusiastic global citizens
Spain was the only European country where more than 50% of people chose to define themselves as global citizens.
While France and the UK lag behind on this question, respondents in all three countries were the most enthusiastic European nations when it comes to inter-racial or inter-cultural marriages.
3) In Germany, fewer people say they identify as global citizens now than in 2001
How a #selfie with #Merkel changed a refugee's life https://t.co/XL0ks9EtaUpic.twitter.com/5v4C5OL0ne
— Rachel Baig (@rachel_baig) March 8, 2016
The figures show that the number of Germans who consider themselves to be global citizens has plunged to an all-time low – just 30%. This is the country’s lowest proportion recorded since the poll was first conducted 15 years ago.
This may come as a surprise given Germany’s leading role in welcoming refugees arriving in Europe. Led by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ‘open-door policy’, Germany took in 1 million refugees last year – far outstripping its neighbours’ response. However, this bold decision has been an ongoing source of tension in Germany – according to the poll, only 54% of respondents approved of their country’s response to the refugee crisis. While there are no simple explanations, it’s inevitable that the influx of new arrivals pushed Germans to consider their identity as a nation and raised key questions on the challenges of integration.
4) More people in Canada identify as global citizens than in the USA
Amazing to be a part of history last night as Ontario opens its arms to new friends & neighbours. #refugeeswelcomepic.twitter.com/7ghnzf1ndj
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) December 11, 2015
The figures on Canada and the USA also suggest that the more internationally-minded a country, the more willing they are to accept refugees. 77% of Canadians asked said they would approve of accepting Syrian refugees, whereas only 55% of US citizens agreed.
5) National identity is important, but it's not everything
Gender, local ties, ethnicity, religion – these are all factors that can shape a person’s identity as much as, or even more than, national boundaries. While religion appeared to play a weaker role than national identity in most of the countries surveyed, for 43% of people in Pakistan, religion takes priority over nationality. In Indonesia, local communities proved to be more powerful than national ties.
And as the study shows, more and more people feel their identity transcends national borders. For some, this attitude reflects the reality of living in an increasingly connected world. For others, the concept of global citizenship is inherently tied to globalisation and economic opportunities. While other groups see it as a response to the experience of migration and learning to live withn a multi-cultural setting.
Of course, for many, global citizenship is also about building a worldwide movement to tackle the world's biggest challenges - from ending extreme poverty, tackling gender inequality or combating climate change - global challenges that require global solutions.
For more on the concept of global citizenship, watch Global Citizen Co-Founder and CEO Hugh Evans' TED Talk.