{"id":28307,"date":"2020-10-05T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:57:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:57:28","slug":"in-u-s-and-uk-globalization-leaves-some-feeling-left-behind-or-swept-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2020\/10\/05\/in-u-s-and-uk-globalization-leaves-some-feeling-left-behind-or-swept-up\/","title":{"rendered":"In U.S. and UK, Globalization Leaves Some Feeling \u2018Left Behind\u2019 or \u2018Swept Up\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull\" style=\"min-height:600px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-48716\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_featured-1.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim-40 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><h1 aria-level=\"1\" data-post-type=\"post\" style=\"font-size:clamp(27.894px, 1.743rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 2.285), 48px);line-height:1.1\" class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-white-color\">In U.S. and UK, Globalization Leaves Some Feeling \u2018Left Behind\u2019 or \u2018Swept Up\u2019<\/h1>\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-prc-block-subtitle has-text-color has-white-color\" aria-level=\"2\"><em>Focus groups reveal the degree to which Americans and Britons see common challenges to local and national identity<\/em><\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display is-layout-flex wp-container-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-7b1574cb wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-flex\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__bylines\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__prefix\">By<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/laura-silver\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Laura Silver\">Laura Silver<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/shannon-schumacher\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Shannon Schumacher\">Shannon Schumacher<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/mara-mordecai\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Mara Mordecai\">Mara Mordecai<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/shannon-greenwood\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Shannon Greenwood\">Shannon Greenwood<\/a> <span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__and-separator\">and<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/michael-keegan\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Michael Keegan\">Michael Keegan<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group essay--toolbar is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2020-10-05T10:00:00-04:00\">October 5, 2020<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links has-small-icon-size has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-b192c3d7 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\">\n\n\n\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, both Americans and Britons participated in divisive votes shaped in part by questions of immigration and global engagement. In the United States, voters cast ballots in a presidential election ultimately won by Donald Trump and his \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/election-us-2016-36152947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">America first<\/a>\u201d vision. Across the Atlantic, \u201cleave\u201d voters outnumbered \u201cremain\u201d voters in a national referendum on continued European Union membership, framed by the slogan \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36534802\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take back control<\/a>.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/what-do-the-brexit-leave-voters-and-trump-supporters-have-in-common\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attempts to explain<\/a> the twin poll results have focused on people who felt left behind and who voted against the seemingly inexorable tide of growing economic interdependence, cultural diversity and social connectivity that define a globalized world. But direct, systematic comparisons of the two countries have been rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center undertook focus groups in the United States and United Kingdom in 2019 \u2013 prior to the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topics\/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19\/\">outbreak of COVID-19<\/a> \u2013 to understand better the degree to which similar narratives about globalization and its impacts are evident in each country \u2013 and whether these narratives vary by geography, political affiliation or other factors in each country.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible js-react-collapsible is-style-alternate has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">Pew Research Center has been studying issues of national identity and globalization for some time, but this project is the Center\u2019s first foray into exploring the topic using comparative, international focus group data. We conducted 26 focus groups from Aug. 19 to Nov. 20, 2019, in cities across the U.S. and UK, grouped by political and geographic attributes as described below in the table (for more, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2020\/10\/05\/uk-us-national-identity-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>). All groups were asked questions about their local communities, national identities and globalization by a trained moderator. The questions were based on a discussion guide designed by Pew Research Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edece7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edece7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?resize=480,387 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?resize=782,631 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?resize=960,775 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?resize=1200,968 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?resize=1280,1033 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"517\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-10.png?w=640\" alt=\"Panel groups\" class=\"wp-image-35876 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">To analyze the data collected from these discussions, researchers reviewed the focus group transcripts and consolidated the sentiments into \u201cdata displays.\u201d These displays summarized participants\u2019 responses to the moderator\u2019s questions and included coding schemes to highlight key themes and points of interest in the conversation, as well as the dynamics of the discussion. Researchers analyzed the coded data, focusing on how opinions varied across the groups, which served as the primary unit of analysis. Particular care was taken to ensure that the viewpoints expressed in this report accurately capture the range of opinions expressed, emphasizing not just a majority opinion, but minority and dissenting opinions as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">The analysis presented in this report is indicative of key narratives and frames of references that influence how people perceive and understand important issues. The findings are not statistically representative and cannot be extrapolated to wider populations. Similarly, while we often refer to groups of participants as \u201cDemocratic groups\u201d or \u201cleavers,\u201d these descriptors are shorthand, based on the research design or moments in the focus group conversation. Depending on the topic, a participant\u2019s age, gender, city, employment status or other factors may have been equally relevant to their opinions and views about globalization.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The focus groups confirm that the story of being \u201cleft behind\u201d remains common in both the U.S. and UK. Participants highlighted the ways in which the forces of globalization left them rudderless, closing industries, leading people to abandon their homes and harming them economically. But the group conversations also reveal a narrative of being \u201cswept up\u201d by globalization. Those who are swept up experience dislocation because of too much attention from global forces \u2013 investment and new job creation supplant traditional work, inflate real estate prices and displace some people from their homes and communities. Stories of being left behind and swept up both lead to feelings of alienation and loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad8a0759 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-1&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<h4 id=\"attitudes-toward-globalization-shaped-less-by-local-change-more-by-national-context\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Attitudes toward globalization shaped less by local change, more by national context<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_flipcard-01.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:200px;height:200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-gray-alt-color has-text-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-label-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Click for more information<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-small-label-font-size has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In academia, this is referred to as a \u201csociotropic\u201d attitude. Academics have found similar relationships when examining trade attitudes or attitudes toward immigration. For example, when it comes to trade, <a href=\"https:\/\/repository.upenn.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1338&amp;context=asc_papers\">scholars argue<\/a> that people\u2019s attitudes toward international trade are based less on their material self-interest than on perceptions of how the U.S. economy as a whole is affected by trade. Similarly, when it comes to immigration, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.stanford.edu\/~jhain\/Paper\/ARPS2014.pdf\">research suggests<\/a> people\u2019s opinions are shaped by their concerns about the national cultural impacts of immigration more than their personal economic experiences.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given that people can feel dislocated whether they are left behind or swept up, what separates those who see globalization negatively from those who see it positively is how they perceive changes to their country, rather than their neighborhood. Those who are more locally or nationally rooted tend to see globalization breaking down the national community and changing what it means to be part of the nation-state in ways they find disaffecting. In contrast, those who embrace globalization tend to focus on the ways in which globalization itself can create community \u2013 fostering new connections by breaking down boundaries between people to foster international cooperation and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the following section, we describe how focus group participants defined and described globalization. Then, we look at how globalization impacted participants\u2019 local communities and created a sense of loss, both for those who were left behind and those who are swept up by globalization. We then look at how people see globalization changing what it means to be British or American and how both those who are more globally oriented and those who are more nationally rooted express feelings of alienation in their country. Finally, we look at participants\u2019 attitudes toward globalization at the international level, concluding that some view global interconnectivity as an opportunity for cooperation while others see it as a battleground for competition. Throughout the essay are quotations representing a range of views from participants, some of which have been edited for grammar, spelling and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-beige-background-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-findings-and-road-map-to-the-essay\"><strong>Key findings and road map<\/strong> to the essay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"#defining-globalization\">Defining globalization<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The term \u201cglobalization\u201d was difficult for participants to define, but it was not difficult to describe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"#local\">The local context<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether groups felt their communities were globalization \u201cwinners\u201d who experienced job creation in their city or \u201closers\u201d who felt the decline of industry, people focused on the changing character of their communities, the increased transience and the declining opportunities. Those \u201cleft behind\u201d by globalization and those \u201cswept up\u201d often experienced similar feelings of loss and assigned blame to multinational corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"#national\">The national situation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People in the UK and U.S. felt that what it means to be British or American, respectively, is changing. Participants who are more inwardly oriented focused on how multiculturalism was \u201cdiluting\u201d the dominant national character. People who were more globally oriented focused on how Brexit and the 2016 election have left them feeling like their country is no longer the multicultural, accepting place they had prized it to be. For separate reasons, participants highlighted their alienation and confusion about what it means to be part of their nations today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"#globalization\">Globalization<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants who are less open to globalization tend to view the international sphere through the lens of the nation-state and as competition, expressing a need to stand alone apart from the interference of international bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants who are in favor of globalization see the ways in which community can exist internationally, separate and apart from national boundaries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"#conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of their comfort with globalization, participants highlighted its inevitability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" id=\"defining-globalization\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-377084\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-17.jpg\" style=\"object-position:51% 27%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"51% 27%\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-40 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;globalization-you-know-it-when-you-see-it&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"globalization-you-know-it-when-you-see-it\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center is-style-default has-oatmeal-light-color has-text-color has-h-1-font-size\">Globalization: You know it when you see it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question \u201cWhat is globalization?\u201d was not easy for focus group participants to answer. Definitions were wide-ranging, touching on economic changes such as the rising influence of multinational corporations and the role of international trade; international organizations like the United Nations; immigration and the movement of people; and amorphous concepts like the exchange of ideas and cultures. As a further indication of how challenged participants were by the task of defining globalization, some offered a response, only to hurriedly seek confirmation from the moderator that their answer was \u201ccorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e8ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e8ea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-01.png?resize=480,661 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-01.png?resize=782,1076 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-01.png?resize=840,1156 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"578\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-01.png?w=420\" alt=\"Focus group participants found it easier to illustrate than define globalization\" class=\"wp-image-35922 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though participants were often unsure of how to define globalization, key themes did emerge. These centered on economics and trade, the global balance of power, immigration and cultural exchange, technological advancement, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And unlike technical definitions, participants found it relatively easy to share illustrations of globalization. They brought up the impacts of globalization on their daily lives, like the experiences of calling customer service and reaching a call center in another country. People touted the ability to order goods from the other side of the world on Amazon and have them delivered the next day. Others brought up how immigration has shifted the fabric of their country for better or worse, or how openness to foreign ideas and customs was changing their country\u2019s culture \u2013 again, for both better and worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" id=\"local\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-377085\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-18.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-40 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;globalization-and-change-at-the-local-level-whether-left-behind-or-swept-up-feelings-of-loss-pervade&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"globalization-and-change-at-the-local-level-whether-left-behind-or-swept-up-feelings-of-loss-pervade\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-h-1-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.2\">Globalization and change at the local level: Whether left behind or swept up, feelings of loss pervade<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When describing key changes in their local communities, participants did not always invoke \u201cglobalization.\u201d Yet their stories often linked to broader illustrations of what constitutes globalization. This was particularly true when participants spoke about changes due to industrial shifts, automation and the growing influence of multinational corporations. All three were consistently described as negatively impacting local communities \u2013 in contrast to growing cultural diversity or improved communication technology, which were sometimes viewed favorably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad8a0759 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-2&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<h4 id=\"who-is-left-behindwho-is-swept-up\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Who is left behind?<br>Who is swept up?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_flipcard-03.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376363\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-gray-alt-color has-text-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-label-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Click for more information<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-small-label-font-size has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though academics and journalists have widely used the term \u201cleft behind,\u201d participants infrequently used it themselves. Here, we use the term \u201cleft behind\u201d to discuss people who experienced losses like the closure of factories, institutions and local shops or the loss of jobs and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also use the term \u201cswept up\u201d to discuss people who experienced losses associated with growth, like mounting costs of living and increasingly crowded cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants described elements of both phenomena. For example, in London, where participants complained of increasingly expensive housing and constant development, participants also lamented the loss of local pubs and decline of high streets.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Industrial change, automation and the influence of multinationals were prime catalysts in stories of being left behind by globalization. Being left behind was often equated with job loss and shuttered businesses. Depending on the locale, participants described either industry-specific or general job losses. Focus group participants in Pittsburgh and Newcastle were particularly animated by stories of being left behind, describing how they or people they knew had lost jobs at coal mines, steel mills and other industrial facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these cities and elsewhere, participants pointed to the carry-over effects of job loss \u2013 from local stores being unable to remain profitable to neighborhoods becoming less prosperous and more dangerous, exacerbated by the onset of crime and drug use that accompanied peoples\u2019 material decline. People who felt left behind also noted the impact of economic decline on local social ties. Participants linked falling rates of homeownership with growing numbers of \u201ctransient\u201d renters and less meaningful relationships with neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-02.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"A derelict textile factory in Newcastle. (Photofusion\/Crispin Hughes\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48762\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A derelict textile factory in Newcastle. (Photofusion\/Crispin Hughes\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad8a0759 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-small-label-font-size has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-3&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<h4 id=\"what-is-a-high-street\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">What is a high street?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_flipcard-02.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376312\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-gray-alt-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Click for more information<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the UK, a \u201chigh street\u201d is defined by the Office of National Statistics as \u201ca cluster of 15 or more retail addresses within 150 meters.\u201d But focus group participants used the term colloquially in much the way Americans would describe a \u201cmain street\u201d in a town. The term evoked the center of commercial life and activity.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Job loss was sometimes described as almost a trap. Participants in Newcastle highlighted how their area simply receives less in terms of job training, education and employment opportunities now than they used to, making recovery from job loss more difficult to bear. The same was true in Pittsburgh, where one woman noted that \u201cthe market is now changing [and] the people that are already here&nbsp;\u2026 are no longer benefiting from it.\u201d Another man commented about how Pittsburgh used to be a blue-collar town but it doesn\u2019t ring true anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some, these perceived changes and the loss of jobs or opportunities in their town were met with great sadness, while others responded with a more matter-of-fact attitude and seemed to accept these changes as an inevitable fact of life. For example, one man in Newcastle framed the loss of these jobs simply as a result of changes in the labor market, saying, \u201cThe job trends are changing \u2013 heavy industry\u2019s no longer up here, and we\u2019re getting more offices.&nbsp;\u2026 People are coming in from different parts of the country, different parts of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible js-react-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"stagnation-and-decline-in-high-street-retail-color-opinions-of-high-streets-in-general\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;stagnation-and-decline-in-high-street-retail-color-opinions-of-high-streets-in-general&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>Stagnation and decline in high street retail color opinions of high streets in general<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">Across the UK, participants lamented the decline of high streets \u2013 used colloquially in much the way Americans describe a \u201cmain street\u201d but formally defined by the UK Office of National Statistics as \u201ca cluster of 15 or more retail addresses within 150 meters.\u201d They described the closures of independent businesses in their area and the increased presence of charity shops, or thrift stores, and chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ecedeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ecedeb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?resize=480,241 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?resize=782,392 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?resize=960,482 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?resize=1200,602 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?resize=1280,642 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"321\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-08.png?w=640\" alt=\"Retail business growth was lower on high streets than in other areas\" class=\"wp-image-35885 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">Data from the UK Office of National Statistics indicates that between 2012 and 2017, the regions in which the focus groups took place all experienced either negative or stagnant growth in high street retail.[1. The Birmingham focus groups took place in the West Midlands, the Newcastle groups took place in the North East and the Edinburgh groups took place in Scotland. The UK Office of National Statistics treats London as an independent region.] But, when accounting for food service, accommodations and other sectors beyond retail, all four regions experienced <em>growth<\/em> during that period, both on high street and elsewhere, suggesting that perceptions of decline may be heavily colored by retail, in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px\">Looking at employment, a similar trend emerges. In many of the cities where groups were conducted, participants expressed concerns that the declining high streets meant limited employment opportunities. Yet, in the regions where the groups took place, employment on high streets actually <em>grew<\/em> when accounting for sectors beyond retail, even while employment on high streets in retail fell in all regions but London. And while London did see growth in retail employment on high streets, it was roughly even with the city\u2019s population growth, which also stood at 6% between 2012 and 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edede6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edede6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-09.png?resize=480,372 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-09.png?resize=782,606 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-09.png?resize=842,652 842w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"325\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-09.png?w=420\" alt=\"Retail employment was lower on high streets than other areas across all regions\" class=\"wp-image-35880 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cecbc0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cecbc0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-02.png?resize=480,761 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-02.png?resize=782,1240 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-02.png?resize=840,1332 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"666\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-02.png?w=420\" alt=\"UK focus group participants feel impact of declining \u2018high streets\u2019 differently, yet some experiences overlap\" class=\"wp-image-35919 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The closures and changes people described extended from the workplace to the \u201chigh street\u201d in the UK, and the tone was often one of profound loss. In all four cities in the UK where focus groups were conducted, people noted the closure of independent businesses on the high streets, highlighting how these shifts left them feeling like the previous epicenter of their community was no longer the bustling center of commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, the blame was laid at the feet of globalization. For example, one woman in Newcastle highlighted how globalization means \u201csmaller businesses \u2026 go out of business because [of] competition from \u2026 worldwide companies.\u201d Participants also highlighted how these changes negatively impact young people\u2019s job prospects, because with the closure of shops, there are fewer employment opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was also a sense that the decline of these high streets was impacting individuals\u2019 daily lives and routines, with one woman in Newcastle saying that in the good old days you could get everything you needed on the main road, but now \u201cit\u2019s degenerating, it\u2019s a s&#8212;hole.\u201d Participants described how the commercial decline was uneven, noting strip malls and retail parks getting huge amounts of investment as mom and pop shops on the high streets were left to die out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cOpportunities [are] about careers, and you look at the average high street now and how that\u2019s changed in 20 years \u2026 this is a completely different world for people to get jobs.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>MAN, 38, BIRMINGHAM<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The demise of high streets also extended to concerns about the erosion of each city\u2019s local character and charm. In the UK, particularly among Leavers, homogenization was a focus, with participants defining globalization as the \u201cbreakdown of individuality\u201d and \u201ceverywhere being the same.\u201d Once again, the blame for this perceived homogenization was placed on multinational corporations. One man from London pithily described it as \u201cStarbucks [and] McDonald\u2019s [causing] every high street [to] look the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeeeed\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeeeed;\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-03.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Holiday shoppers on Oxford Street in London. (Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48761 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Holiday shoppers on Oxford Street in London. (Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the decline of high streets, participants in the UK lamented the closure of local pubs and youth clubs. These places were viewed as key community-building institutions, and their loss was seen as a death knell of social cohesion in their area, ushered in by changing business and industry. Groups described local pubs as gathering spaces for members of the community to build relationships and get to know each other, discussing how their closure meant people did not bond anymore. Youth clubs were also seen as pillars of communities, and groups suggested that their demise has pushed young people onto the streets to cause mischief and engage in criminal activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThey\u2019re putting loads of money into [the retail park] but [on] the high street, everything\u2019s closing down \u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThat\u2019s right, yes, unless it\u2019s a charity shop [thrift store] or a coffee shop \u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cOr a Gregg\u2019s [a major UK bakery chain].\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Exchange among woman, 32; man, 52; and man, 34, all of Birmingham<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the U.S., similar tropes emerged. People focused on how there were limited employment opportunities, unfair competition between small businesses and chain retail stores, and large companies threatening the character of their neighborhood. But in the U.S., these complaints focused less on specific commercial districts \u2013 like a main street \u2013 and extended to the community more broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edf0ef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edf0ef;\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-04.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"A homeless man carries his sleeping bag past the iconic Selfridges Building in Birmingham in 2017. (Mike Kemp\/In Pictures via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48760 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A homeless man carries his sleeping bag past the iconic Selfridges Building in Birmingham in 2017. (Mike Kemp\/In Pictures via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the general theme of decline was common across the two countries, an alternate narrative of being swept up by global currents of change also emerged. This sense was palpable across several focus groups in Seattle. All groups there agreed that local investments by multinational corporations like Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks had led to a major influx of people and money, which had put upward pressure on the cost of living in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d3dcd6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d3dcd6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-03.png?resize=480,712 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-03.png?resize=620,920 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"460\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-03.png?w=310\" alt=\"In U.S. and UK focus groups, those \u2018left behind\u2019 and \u2018swept up\u2019 both feel sense of loss due to globalization\" class=\"wp-image-35912 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seattle focus groups composed of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and of White Democrats shared stories about gentrified neighborhoods, highlighting how housing had become less affordable and how the city\u2019s growth had eroded its culture and character. Groups composed of White Democrats and White independents focused on increased homelessness due to the rising cost of housing. In groups made up of White independents and Republicans, people highlighted how the city\u2019s growth has overwhelmed public services and how local governments have not dealt appropriately with the influx of people and money into the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the Atlantic, the narrative of being swept up by globalization was most evident among focus groups in London. Participants noted how the city\u2019s position as an international hub, or \u201cmagnet,\u201d affects daily life for Londoners. Examples of negative impacts included increases in traffic, crime and housing costs, plus constant construction. Some mentioned that, paradoxically, all of this growth actually meant fewer employment and housing opportunities for local residents. One woman, for instance, faulted \u201coverseas investors\u201d looking to profit off of the city\u2019s housing shortage with the construction of luxury flats that sit vacant when the city was in need of affordable housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although they experienced globalization differently, groups who felt swept up pointed to some of the same outcomes as those left behind, such as the rising cost of housing, declining home ownership and the disintegration of social ties and community. Similar stories also surfaced with respect to increases in local homelessness, drug abuse and crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both those swept up and those left behind saw others benefiting from the very forces of globalization they found so disruptive and disorienting. When probed to say more about who or what has benefited from globalization, American participants regularly suggested that it was \u201cthe wealthy,\u201d \u201cthe 1%\u201d or \u201cpowerful people.\u201d Similarly, participants in the UK described beneficiaries as \u201cwhite-collar,\u201d including business owners, heads of corporations and generally those in positions of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The perception of globalization creating \u201cwinners\u201d and \u201closers\u201d was based on local stories. In Seattle, Houston and London, local residents who worked in sectors such as technology and health care were seen as more capable of earning good wages and keeping up with the rising cost of living. By contrast, people in other sectors were described as bringing home meager wages and struggling to achieve financial stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f5f4f3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f5f4f3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"439\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-05.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"London\u2019s central financial district at dusk. (xavierarnau via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48759 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">London\u2019s central financial district at dusk. (xavierarnau via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both those who felt swept up and those left behind agreed that the wealthy were largely immune from the effects of globalization. In London, one 26-year-old Conservative \u201cleave\u201d voter noted that the wealthy \u201cdon\u2019t necessarily feel the impact of that population boom\u201d in his city because they do not have to go to overcrowded schools and generally do not rely on the public services like social housing, health care, and other public provisions that have been overburdened in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether feeling swept away or left behind, focus group participants in both the U.S. and UK punctuated their stories about local change with a profound sense of loss \u2013 loss of financial security, loss of employment opportunities, loss of social solidarity. And while participants may not have often used the precise term \u201cglobalization,\u201d they nevertheless laid the blame for their losses at the feet of global actors, especially multinational corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" id=\"national\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-377086\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-19.jpg\" style=\"object-position:55% 42%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"55% 42%\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-20 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;between-tolerance-and-traditionglobalization-culture-change-and-national-identity&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"between-tolerance-and-traditionglobalization-culture-change-and-national-identity\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-h-1-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1\">Between tolerance and tradition:<br>Globalization, culture change and national identity<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike the consistent picture of globalization\u2019s negative impact on local communities, focus group participants in the U.S. and UK differed on whether globalization was a boon or bane for their respective countries. Yet even those who, as a matter of principle, welcomed immigration and cultural diversity ultimately admitted to feeling out of place in their own country. But in their case it tended to be related to concerns about the forces they perceived as \u201canti-global\u201d in their country \u2013 people who insisted on protectionist or exclusionary agendas under the banners \u201cAmerica first\u201d and \u201cTake back control.\u201d Ironically, both positive and negative narratives of globalization\u2019s national-level impact left participants feeling alienated and adrift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-06.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"A Chinese restaurant in Newcastle opens for customers in 2017. (Ian Forsyth\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48758\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Chinese restaurant in Newcastle opens for customers in 2017. (Ian Forsyth\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants see and feel globalization changing what it means to be British or American because of the flow of people, cultures and ideas. Regardless of political orientation, most focus groups began their discussion of what it means to be British or American by emphasizing multiculturalism and tolerance. They also overwhelmingly highlighted the benefits of globalization in terms of the diversity of options available in their country: available goods, cuisines, cultural offerings and the like. Even one man who voted \u201cleave\u201d and highlighted his general disapproval of immigration noted that he \u201clikes [his] curries,\u201d referencing the abundant Indian and Pakistani food offerings in his community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cYou can eat pho \u2026 for breakfast. You can have some pupusas later on. You can have some tacos later on. You can have barbecue. You could have crayfish. \u2026 The music \u2026 you get to experience different cultures \u2026 I mean, you can\u2019t beat that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>MAN, 21, HOUSTON<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dae2e9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dae2e9;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-04.png?resize=480,805 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-04.png?resize=620,1040 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"520\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-04.png?w=310\" alt=\"Focus groups in U.S. and UK: Common frames for talking about national identity\" class=\"wp-image-35909 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, particularly for those in groups composed of \u201cleave\u201d voters and Republicans, the limits of this comfort with globalization and multiculturalism came when there was a corresponding sense that these cultures were changing British or American culture, or immigrants and foreigners were benefiting at the expense of locals. In the UK, one older woman from Birmingham summed up the sense that the national culture is changing, declaring, \u201c[Our] Britishness is being diluted because of all the other cultures coming in here. \u2026 If there was a fair ratio of people that the country could cope with and it wasn\u2019t draining all of our resources, then it\u2019s fine. \u2026 I think it\u2019s nice to experience other cultures and share \u2026 but now it\u2019s like that blend has taken away the Britishness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who were less comfortable with immigration tended to couch their discomfort in discussions of differing \u201cvalues\u201d or parenting strategies. For example, people highlighted wanting to be around people who pay their fair share and are morally upstanding, qualities they often attributed to themselves while contrasting themselves with people from other cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7e6964\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7e6964;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"340\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-07.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Brexit supporters celebrate in Parliament Square in London as the UK formally leaves the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020. (Jeff J Mitchell\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48757 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brexit supporters celebrate in Parliament Square in London as the UK formally leaves the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020. (Jeff J Mitchell\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One woman in Birmingham shared that she thought Pakistani people were too different from other Britons because they \u201ceat with their hands\u201d and suggested that immigrants don\u2019t believe in British values so they should \u201cgo back home.\u201d In some \u201cleave\u201d-voting groups in the UK, when prompted, participants explicitly said they wanted to live in predominantly White, British areas, claiming that people from other cultures could not meet their standards for morality and that people naturally preferred segregated neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People also highlighted the way immigration could be alienating, changing how it felt to be \u201cBritish\u201d in public. For example, one older White \u201cleave\u201d-voting woman in London said she finds it \u201cawful\u201d to get onto the tube and hear people speaking myriad languages, describing it as a \u201cvery hostile environment\u201d for her. In Birmingham, another \u201cleave\u201d-voting woman told an extended story about her experience giving birth in a hospital and having no midwives who spoke English, which made her feel like a minority and caused her to feel unsafe and un-cared for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>We can trade between countries; the shop down the street from me is mostly Polish but also sells things from Spain and Cyprus, and sometimes it\u2019s nice to go in there and buy food from another country that you wouldn\u2019t necessarily get elsewhere.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 32, Birmingham<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ideologically right-leaning groups especially stressed that traditional culture \u2013 which some equated with Christianity \u2013 was relegated to second-class status in the country. People highlighted perceived double standards, such as schools accommodating other religions \u2013 teaching about Diwali or banning sausage rolls \u2013 but forcing the annual winter holiday celebrations to be just that, and not Christmas parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-08.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"A St. George\u2019s Cross flag flies over No. 10 Downing St. in London in July 2018. Some focus group participants identified the flag with English pride, while others saw it as a symbol of racism and right-wing, exclusionary nationalism. (Steve Back\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48756\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A St. George\u2019s Cross flag flies over No. 10 Downing St. in London in July 2018. Some focus group participants identified the flag with English pride, while others saw it as a symbol of racism and right-wing, exclusionary nationalism. (Steve Back\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d2dbd5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d2dbd5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-05.png?resize=480,570 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-05.png?resize=782,929 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-05.png?resize=840,998 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"499\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-05.png?w=420\" alt=\"Focus groups reveal reasons some Americans and Britons feel threatened by cultural diversity\" class=\"wp-image-35903 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the workplace context, one older man in Birmingham suggested he would have difficulty getting time off to go to a christening but that there are prayer rooms for Muslims to take regular breaks. Other cultural practices such as flying the St. George\u2019s Cross to express English identity were seen as impossible for fear of offending others, or worse, for fear of being labeled a racist by others in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the U.S., too, participants highlighted the times at which accommodations for immigrants or perceived foreigners limited options for people seen as deserving natives. For example, in Houston, participants in the Republican group balked at the number of jobs in their area requiring bilingual applicants, saying that it gives an unfair leg up to Hispanic job seekers. Some felt this was part of a broader trend of disadvantaging White Americans and highlighted the ways in which restricting immigration could lead to more resources for \u201clocals.\u201d A man in Seattle exemplified this sentiment, saying, \u201cImmigrants have more rights than we do\u201d and get more benefits. He added that he \u201cresents [his] tax dollars paying for someone who\u2019s not feeding into the tax system, whether they are Americans or illegal.\u201d In other instances, immigrants, by their mere presence, were as seen as devaluing homes since, according to one woman in Pittsburgh, they have \u201ceight households [living] in one house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f0ef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-09.jpg\" alt=\"A poster on the side of a marina in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in September 2018. (Leila Macor\/AFP via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48755 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f0ef; width:640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A poster on the side of a marina in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in September 2018. (Leila Macor\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI think the British list that I thought of was \u2026 loose national project of making a multicultural, prosperous, liberal, strong nation, which punches way above its weight on the international scene \u2026 but it\u2019s looking kind of shaky now, a bit wonky, because we don\u2019t know who we are any more. I don\u2019t, I\u2019ve never felt less British. I\u2019ve always had a strong British identity. \u2026 And [now] all I want to do is run, I want to get out of here. I don\u2019t want to be part of this. It looks shambolic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 53, London<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This sense that what it means to be American or British is changing today \u2013 and the corresponding alienation and loss \u2013 was not felt only by focus group participants who opposed global interconnectivity and multiculturalism. For those who were supportive of their nation-state\u2019s integration into the global community, the Brexit vote in the UK and the 2016 presidential election in the U.S. presented similar feelings of loss and alienation in society, as well as a changing sense of what it means to be British or American today. While both elections were not solely focused on these themes, both events focused, at least in part, on inherently international questions: how to control immigration, how to secure borders, how to participate in international organizations, and whether to pursue \u201cAmerica first\u201d policies or to \u201ctake back control\u201d from the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whereas some focus group participants may have felt alienated because of a perceived sense that immigration is changing their culture, on the flip side, those who want their country to be part of the EU or to remain involved in the international community and welcome immigrants feel disaffected because of how those events have changed the way they view their nation-state and their place in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f1f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f1f0;\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-10.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Protesters outside Houston\u2019s George R. Brown Convention Center denounce President Donald Trump\u2019s declared ban on Muslims shortly after his inauguration in January 2017.\" class=\"wp-image-48754 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters outside Houston\u2019s George R. Brown Convention Center denounce President Donald Trump\u2019s declared ban on Muslims shortly after his inauguration in January 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the UK, for example, the Brexit referendum was regularly touted as a profoundly alienating moment, exposing people to a side of Britain they hadn\u2019t seen before and highlighting the political divisions in the country. For people in \u201cremain\u201d-voting focus groups especially, it signaled to them that they are a minority in their country \u2013 in terms of their beliefs for some, and in terms of their ethnic identity for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad8a0759 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-4&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<h4 id=\"participants-spoke-more-openly-upon-recognizing-they-shared-points-of-view\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Participants spoke more openly upon recognizing they shared points of view<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_flipcard-04.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376370\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-gray-alt-color has-text-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-label-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Click for more information<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-small-label-font-size has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This feeling created an interesting dynamic in some focus groups, as participants did not know how the groups were selected. Respondents often skirted around sensitive political or cultural issues, speaking in vague terms or euphemisms, until conversation had advanced to a point where they felt confident that many or most of the people in the room with them shared their viewpoints. In some instances, as this would happen, the moderator would even confirm for people that they were in a room of like-minded individuals on a particular issue (most regularly that they were Brexit \u201cleave\u201d voters). At that point, the tone of conversation would palpably shift and people would appear more relaxed when discussing sensitive topics.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As one man in Birmingham said, recalling the day after the referendum, \u201cIt was quite surreal \u2026 this doesn\u2019t represent me \u2026 [Britain] doesn\u2019t feel like home anymore.\u201d One Black woman of African descent in Birmingham told a story about going to vote with her husband in the Brexit referendum in 2016, saying, \u201cI think it\u2019s the first time in a long time when I could feel the blatant racism in the room. We walked into the school where we were voting and everybody turned around to look at us.\u201d Another \u201cremain\u201d voter of Bangladeshi descent in Newcastle said she had felt at home until Brexit, but she has now lost friends because Brexit \u201c[brought] out the inner racist. \u2026 Personally, I feel my life\u2019s completely changed since Brexit.\u201d On the other hand, those who voted \u201cleave\u201d shared stories of being vilified by remainers as xenophobes or racists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>I used to think that we really believed what Emma Lazarus wrote in her poem, that\u2019s on the base of the Statue of Liberty. And now it\u2019s, \u2018Give me your tired, your poor, as long as they\u2019re White, Northern European.\u2019<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 70, Houston<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e3e3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e3e3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-06.png?resize=480,568 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-06.png?resize=782,925 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-06.png?resize=840,994 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"497\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-06.png?w=420\" alt=\"2016 U.S. election, Brexit referendum surfaced feelings of alienation among focus group participants, whether or not they supported immigration, global engagement\" class=\"wp-image-35893 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the U.S., too, especially in focus groups composed of Democrats, people highlighted that the 2016 election had shaken their belief in the core values of the country. As one man in Houston said, \u201cI feel like we were more welcoming of immigrants \u2026 now it seems like there are people that don\u2019t want certain immigrants \u2026 Brown [immigrants]. It\u2019s always been like \u2026 \u2018Come here, this is the American Dream\u2019 \u2026 I feel like that\u2019s really being squashed.\u201d Some explicitly faulted President Trump for the change, saying he has inflamed things, \u201cegging on\u201d racism. A young Hispanic woman in Houston noted, \u201cOnce upon a time, there were people who were racist, but they kind of kept it behind closed doors. \u2026 But now it\u2019s way up in the forefront \u2026 you see people just spewing hate at innocent folks because they heard someone speaking a different language in Taco Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sense of not feeling at home in one\u2019s country was also expressed by those who voted \u201cleave\u201d in the UK and for Donald Trump in the U.S. Leavers and Republicans alike discussed how the \u201cout of control\u201d levels of immigration and the accommodations immigrants receive may have created a deep sense of alienation in their own country and a corresponding sense that, if they share this opinion with others with different viewpoints, they will be castigated. For some, this has translated into lost friends or personal animosity, with people on both the political left and right offering examples of losing friends \u2013 or being unfriended on social media \u2013 because of different views over political candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>I\u2019m fair skinned and my brothers are darker skinned \u2026 being out in public, people give them the once over \u2026 it\u2019s disheartening for me \u2026 we didn\u2019t have that problem a few years ago out in public. [Also,] at dinner with some acquaintances \u2026 they started talking crap about Latinos. I [said,] \u2018You know, as a Mexican \u2026 I disagree with you,\u2019 and he goes, \u2018Oh, but you\u2019re one of the good ones, so I wasn\u2019t talking about you.\u2019 \u2013 I feel like that statement wouldn\u2019t have been made five years ago.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 19, Houston<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-11.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Protesters for and against the UK\u2019s withdrawal from the EU argue over the issue at a demonstration near the Houses of Parliament in London ahead of planned votes on Brexit amendments on Jan. 29, 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-48753\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters for and against the UK\u2019s withdrawal from the EU argue over the issue at a demonstration near the Houses of Parliament in London ahead of planned votes on Brexit amendments on Jan. 29, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In both the UK and the U.S., participants also explained how they felt polarization has deepened in their country. One American noted that it\u2019s currently \u201ctraumatic\u201d to be American, saying, \u201cI used to have an identity of what American meant and it\u2019s devaluing.\u201d Another described America as \u201ctribal,\u201d saying \u201cThere\u2019s no compromise, no common sense. No listening to other people. Political tribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>It\u2019s on the verge of civil war. Not a racial civil war. It\u2019s a political civil war.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 51, Pittsburgh<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the changes participants saw in their countries and the perceived catalysts of those changes varied, nearly all participants said these shifts were causing them to feel disconnected from their national identity. For some, globalization in the form of immigration and multiculturalism had wrought too much change, to the point that they felt they could no longer recognize their country.&nbsp; They noted that they couldn\u2019t feel a connection with others under the mantle of being \u201cBritish\u201d or \u201cAmerican\u201d because the culture had been eroded too much and that some people grouped under that label felt too different from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWe\u2019ve lost our identity as a people. We\u2019re fighting each other. Us and them. A house divided \u2026 on socioeconomic [status], race, gender, just pick something [and we\u2019re divided].\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 58, Houston<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For others, pivotal events marking a political shift away from the globalized world and toward a \u201ccountry-first\u201d national character alienated them from how they used to conceptualize and understand their countries. For these people, community and national identity <em>meant<\/em> welcoming people from elsewhere and blending cultures, foods and ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite fundamental differences in how they characterize their countries, both groups of people were reticent to label themselves as \u201ccosmopolitan.\u201d Even those who supported the principles of a globally oriented world tended to describe \u201ccosmopolitans\u201d as elitists who were \u201cout of touch\u201d or were wealthy jet-setters, evoking images of a \u201cSex and the City\u201d lifestyle. And even while globally oriented and nationally rooted people both were disillusioned with what it meant to be British or American today \u2013 albeit for different reasons \u2013 there was a discomfort with identifying as a \u201ccitizen of the world\u201d or, as Theresa May evoked, a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/ffb25e84-8af2-11e6-8aa5-f79f5696c731\">citizen of nowhere<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" id=\"globalization\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-377087\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-21.jpg\" style=\"object-position:47% 99%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"47% 99%\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-30 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;sovereignty-competition-and-community-in-a-globalized-world&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"sovereignty-competition-and-community-in-a-globalized-world\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center is-style-default has-oatmeal-light-color has-text-color has-h-1-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.1\">Sovereignty, competition and community in a globalized world<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As described above, disruptions linked to globalization have engendered profound feelings of loss and alienation at both a local and national level. In response, some focus group participants expressed support for \u201ctaking back control\u201d \u2013 the slogan of the Brexit campaign \u2013 or putting \u201cAmerica first,\u201d the oft-repeated slogan of the 2016 Trump campaign. For these participants, the international sphere is perceived as a space of competition, with a focus on the nation-state. In contrast, focus group members who expressed feeling alienated less by globalization, and more by nationalist rhetoric and policies, tended to highlight opportunities to create a sense of community at the international level. Those with the latter mindset emphasized the importance of cross-border interactions between people, cultures and countries and the ways nation-states can cooperate rather than compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-12.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"President Donald Trump addresses the UN General Assembly in New York City as it opens its 74th session on Sept. 24, 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-48752\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump addresses the UN General Assembly in New York City as it opens its 74th session on Sept. 24, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the course of the focus group discussions, participants observed that globalization extends beyond economic issues, such as trade, multinational corporations and open markets, to questions of governance, sovereignty and the connectivity made possible by new communication technology. Core to the discussion of globalization\u2019s political implications was the role and influence of multinational or multilateral organizations such as the UN, the World Bank and \u2013 in the case of the UK \u2013 the EU. Particularly for participants who were less comfortable with globalization, these organizations were framed in terms of implications for the nation-state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c[America] should stop being so dependent on [competitor countries] and should be more stern with them. But climate change and terrorism are global issues, and it takes a village to solve them. [The U.S. should] keep its friends close and its enemies closer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 52, Seattle<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9eaea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9eaea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-07.png?resize=480,546 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-07.png?resize=782,890 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-07.png?resize=840,956 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"478\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_graphics-07.png?w=420\" alt=\"Focus groups in U.S. and UK expose divide between those who view globalization as zero-sum competition and those who see new possibilities for cooperation\" class=\"wp-image-35887 not-transparent\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In groups composed of Republicans and Conservatives in the U.S. and UK respectively, participants evoked the notion of sovereignty and their country\u2019s right to self-determine if, how and with whom to interact on the world stage. Some in the U.S. claimed that organizations like the UN and the G7 were avenues for \u201cglobal government\u201d or other countries to assert power over the country and \u201ctry to tell everybody what to do.\u201d Respondents in Republican groups stressed power discrepancies \u2013 highlighting the ways in which America has been taken advantage of by countries like China. For global skeptics in the U.S. focus groups, a recurrent theme was American leadership and preservation of the country\u2019s self-interest, even in the context of multilateral cooperation. As one Seattle woman said, \u201cAmerica should be the leader\u201d and \u201cset an example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f6f4f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f6f4f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"439\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-13.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"U.S. President Donald Trump talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the annual NATO summit of heads of government on Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. (Steve Parsons-WPA Pool\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48751 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the annual NATO summit of heads of government on Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. (Steve Parsons-WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad8a0759 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-small-label-font-size has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-5&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<h4 id=\"in-the-uk-history-of-empire-colored-views-of-nations-place-in-the-world\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>In the UK, history of empire colored views of nation\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>place in the world<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_flipcard-05.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376374\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-gray-alt-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Click for more information<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the UK, the issue of history and empire was front and center in these discussions. Those who were least comfortable with globalization tended to harken back to the British Empire and to glorify the role of the nation-state historically. In contrast, those who tended to be more accepting of globalization were more likely to suggest that reconceptualizing history \u2013 and the UK\u2019s role internationally \u2013 was merited. For example, these participants noted that the UK needed to think of itself <em>less<\/em> as a powerful, historic maritime power and more as part of a global community. As one Scottish participant noted, \u201cWe think we are more important in the world than what we probably actually are. We are a tiny island. We seem to be told that we are this global superpower all the time, but actually our power is getting less and less, and I think people need to be aware of it and start being a bit more realistic about what\u2019s going to happen in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A different story emerged among \u201cremain\u201d groups in the UK. Here, participants observed that their country\u2019s current standing in the G7 and other organizations owed to a history of international influence that had placed the UK high up in the \u201cglobal pecking order.\u201d The idea of competition among nation-states was pervasive, with participants using sporting analogies to describe how the UK today could \u201cpunch above its weight\u201d on the world stage or be \u201cone of the big players\u201d globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In both countries, participants discussed competition between nation-states in terms of economic, as well as political influence. Global trade was often framed as a zero-sum game. Trade was about one\u2019s own country benefiting at the expense of other states. One man in Pittsburgh commented that the U.S. risked becoming \u201cpoor\u201d if it disengaged from global trade and could no longer \u201cmanipulate other countries to get their resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>I used to work for a company [that bought rubber] manufactured locally. And then it worked out it was a pence cheaper to get [the rubber] in China, so it all went out to China \u2026 the knock-on effect of one of those plants shutting down and the guys that supply their raw materials and everything.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 48, Newcastle<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-14.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"A call center in Bangalore, India. (Gautam Singh\/IndiaPictures\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48750\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A call center in Bangalore, India. (Gautam Singh\/IndiaPictures\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially in the American focus groups, there was a heavy emphasis on outsourcing, with people mentioning changes such as less desirable jobs moving abroad and the growth of overseas call centers. Participants fixated on how the U.S. was \u201closing\u201d this zero-sum game to countries like China or India \u2013 countries that \u201cwon\u201d by virtue of manipulating currency or flouting environmental regulations. This idea also materialized in discussions about trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (which has since been replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>If you tell a company in America, \u2018Hey, you can move your manufacturing wherever, and we won\u2019t charge you for it\u2019 \u2026 well of course they\u2019re going to do it. Because in other countries, they can manufacture whatever, and then they can just dump their waste into the river because they don\u2019t have the environmental controls that we have.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 53, Pittsburgh<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But not everyone saw the international arena as one of nation-states in competition. Participants also talked about the possibility \u2013 and importance \u2013 of countries \u201cworking together to solve problems that the entire world faces.\u201d In focus groups on both sides of the Atlantic, people emphasized that their country was often ill-equipped to independently tackle large-scale issues like climate change or terrorism. Others discussed how solving complex issues was not possible for one country to do on its own without drawing on the resources and expertise of other countries. Even skeptics of globalization acknowledged that cooperation, at least to some extent, was necessary to solve complex issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>We need to be educating and sharing. \u2026 Certain countries have gotten better expertise and that kind of thing in certain fields, and they can share knowledge.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 46, Birmingham<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebebeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebebeb;\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-15.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Friends hold signs calling for action against climate change during a demonstration march in Edinburgh in September 2019. (Stewart Kirby\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48749 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Friends hold signs calling for action against climate change during a demonstration march in Edinburgh in September 2019. (Stewart Kirby\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In some cases, international cooperation was described as a responsibility. For example, one Labour-supporting \u201cremain\u201d woman in Birmingham noted that \u201cevery person is responsible for climate change,\u201d regardless of where they live. The same was also true when it came to issues like public health (though these focus groups took place before the global outbreak of COVID-19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>We can\u2019t solve [international problems] on our own, anyway.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Man, 68, SEATTLE<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants who saw globalization as an opportunity, as opposed to a threat, also talked about personal forms of international community made possible by advances in communication technology. For some, this was portrayed as an alternative to feelings of local or national solidarity weakened by global forces. The speed and pervasiveness of social networks was described as enabling communication \u201cinstantly across the world\u201d and creating the possibility of a \u201cworldwide community\u201d that can provide \u201csupport when something happens all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>[Globalization] could only be a good thing \u2026 sharing knowledge instead of, like, \u2018This is our information, and this is their information.\u2019<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 47, Pittsburgh<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Others spoke about even more personal forms of international community, such as a man in Seattle who shared that, thanks to online connections, he had found a small but global group of people who had gone through the same jaw surgery that he had. Another man in Houston shared how, as a hiring manager, he couldn\u2019t find qualified Americans to fill certain roles, so he has had to reach out to people overseas. For participants like these, technology and other products of globalization were viewed as a means to forge connections or bonds with people beyond their local and national communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cad6d3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cad6d3;\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-16.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"People work on their laptops at the British Library in London. (Kate Green\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-48748 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People work on their laptops at the British Library in London. (Kate Green\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images)\n\n (Photo by Kate Green\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants also stressed the ways in which people and ideas could flow, creating webs of interconnectivity and interaction that weren\u2019t bounded by national borders. They pointed to the role of technology in education as providing \u201clong-distance learning for the world.\u201d One woman in Houston noted, \u201cIt\u2019s no longer about one nation, it\u2019s the entire \u2026 everything impacts everything else,\u201d while another Houston woman stressed that globalization involves \u201crecognizing that we are all passengers on spaceship earth \u2026 [and] share a common interest.\u201d Core to this discussion was the sense that globalization involved the evolution of an \u201copen marketplace for the world,\u201d with \u201cflattening borders\u201d that reduced countries to mere \u201cpassport designations\u201d or destinations for Amazon deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>\u201c<\/em>I think because of the internet, we have to start looking at ourselves as part of the planet earth, not Americans, not Italians, not Mexicans, whatever it is, we\u2019re coming to the place where we\u2019re going to have to be earthlings.<em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Woman, 72, Seattle<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While these focus groups were diverse and stretched across the U.S. and UK, their participants largely viewed globalization through one of two lenses: fostering an arena of international rivalry and competition, or creating the possibility of new cross-border communities. Among the former group, increased international connections have meant greater insecurity and threats to their country\u2019s ability to maintain power and influence. For the latter group, globalization has come with perceived opportunities, and even obligations, to connect with others, find common cause and tackle global problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" id=\"conclusion\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-377098\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/PG_2020.09.30_UK-U.S.-Panel_photo-20.jpg\" style=\"object-position:50% 68%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"50% 68%\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-40 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;disruptive-but-inevitable&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"disruptive-but-inevitable\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-h-1-font-size\">Disruptive \u2026 but inevitable?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the focus groups, participants in the U.S. and UK consistently agreed on one thing: Their communities, their countries and their worlds are changing. While the term \u201cglobalization\u201d did not always roll off their tongues, participants concurred that the catalyst for change was an increasingly interconnected world in which multinational corporations, foreign trade and multilateral organizations had become important factors shaping local and national identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether people described being swept up by influxes of money and people, or left behind as jobs and investment moved elsewhere, the experience of globalization was often described in terms of \u201closs\u201d and no longer feeling at home in one\u2019s community or country. In some instances, these feelings led participants to sympathize with nationalist appeals to \u201ctake back control\u201d or put \u201cAmerica first.\u201d Others were less invested in defending local and national identities; they saw opportunity in the form of new social ties beyond their immediate locales and new international forms of solidarity, abetted by travel, digital connectivity and a sense of shared priorities across national borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Above all, the general sense among focus group participants is that no matter one\u2019s politics, location, career or position in life, globalization is here to stay. Participants generally agreed that change at the local and national levels will continue, driven by increased international connectivity. Industries will continue to shift, societies will continue to wrestle with issues of multiculturalism, and technology will continue to alter the pace and pattern of cross-border ties and identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;methodological-note&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"methodological-note\">Methodological note<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This cross-national, comparative qualitative research project was designed to explore more fully how local context and national identity shape opinions about globalization. Analysis is based on the 26 focus groups we conducted across the U.S. and UK in the fall of 2019 and more information about the groups and analysis can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2020\/10\/05\/uk-us-national-identity-methodology\/\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/pew-research-center-decoded\/how-focus-groups-informed-our-study-about-nationalism-and-international-engagement-in-the-u-s-68655b56580e\">here<\/a>. \u2003<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;acknowledgments&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"acknowledgments\">Acknowledgments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This report was made possible by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. 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