Abstract

The contemporary asylum crisis has caused strong reactions among Europeans and demanded immediate action from European policy-makers at all levels. Apparently, the crisis has challenged the foundations of national identities in European countries. One thousand Latvian residents evenly representing Latvia’s demography have taken part in this study. Five attitude measurement scales have been used in the current study, including modified Stephan’s realistic and symbolic threat questionnaires, prejudicial attitudes survey and intergroup anxiety questionnaire. Since nationalism is both an ideology and a form of behaviour, an integrated theoretical approach has been applied to integrate knowledge from social psychology and theories of nationalism, and to provide deeper analysis of the nature of the challenged national identities and of the attitudes towards refugees and European out-groups in general. The study has both theoretical and practical implications, which could potentially help local policy-makers making informed decisions and ensuring the sustainability and integrity of national identities in Latvia in a dynamic European context.