Analyzing the Inclination towards National Unity and Its Influencing Factors

Iran, a large and diverse country with a rich multicultural tapestry, is home to various ethnic groups. The coexistence of these diverse ethnicities poses the potential to weaken the nation's collective identity and unity. Neglecting these differences can have detrimental consequences, leading to social disintegration. Embracing a sense of belonging to a broader national community is crucial for fostering social cohesion and averting political and social instability. The inclination to identify with the national community and derive a sense of identity from it is a vital indicator of social development in Iran. When individuals, despite their affiliations with smaller ethnic, religious, or class groups, prioritize membership in the national community and draw their identity from it, they are better positioned to contribute to the country's progress and respond voluntarily to societal crises, leveraging their abilities and resources to aid in problem-solving. Additionally, the manner, in which a society is governed, plays a significant role in reinforcing the inclination towards a national community. A fair and efficient government that aligns with the values of the society, comprising diverse smaller groups, can bolster the propensity towards the national community. This study aimed to assess the inclination towards the national community and the factors influencing it.

The data for this study were gathered through a survey designed to capture various dimensions of national community orientation, including cognition, emotion, and behavior, as well as social, historical, territorial, cultural, political, and economic aspects, along with perceptions of intergroup justice and a shared future. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, resulting in a sample of 384 individuals to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. To ensure accuracy, 530 questionnaires were ultimately completed. The survey employed a two-stage sampling approach, utilizing cluster sampling to select localities and random sampling to select respondents. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software and internal consistency, construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha were assessed to ensure the reliability and validity of the indicators. Owing to space constraints, the internal correlation results were not presented in this article.

The findings indicated that the inclination towards the national community in Iran averaged at 4 out of 6 on a 6-point scale, signifying a substantial tendency. Specifically, there was a strong inclination in the social, cultural, historical, and territorial dimensions, while the political and economic dimensions showed a relatively lower sense of justice between groups and common destiny towards the national community. In terms of orientation, the emotional dimension of orientation to the national community was rated at 4.6 out of 6, indicating a high to very high level, but it exhibitd a weaker status in the cognitive and behavioral dimensions. This underscored the importance of enhancing knowledge and providing further training in understanding the national community as the individuals demonstrated a strong orientation towards it but lacked sufficient knowledge and exhibited weaker behavior in strengthening their national community. Another significant point pertained to commonalities within the national community, which were categorized into past, present, and future. The current survey revealed that people were more interested in commonalities originating from the past, including culture (4.7), history (4.8), and land (4.6), compared to the commonalities of the present (economy, politics, etc.) and the future. In other words, the tendency towards the national community based on the common past was stronger than the tendency based on the commonality of the present and the future. Commonalities related to the present and the future were more influenced by the efficiency of the government and alignment of values in the society. The government's acceptability in terms of efficiency and value orientation effectively increased orientation towards the national community. The variables investigated accounted for 65% of the changes in the tendency towards the national community.