> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nationalism.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nationalism.io/most-problematic-group-differences.md).

# Most problematic group differences

A huge range of differences can exist between the populations. These differences can represent a reason why some groups might not prefer to live with other groups. Some differences can be more problematic than others and be more likely to cause disputes and conflict. Other differences may be less problematic but the native population may still have a preference to not accept and tolerate certain differences.

Although some differences can reduce over time due to assimilation there are still differences that can persist. Even if assimilation is possible this doesn’t mean that the ancestral population needs to accept migration into their country. Even if there were little to no differences between groups doesn’t mean that one group isn’t allowed to reject another group from living in their country. A nation’s population can decide for themselves who they want to live with.

The following will separate the potential differences into two groups. One represents the group differences that are more likely to lead to disputes and conflicts. The other is for group differences that should often be less problematic but that could still be relevant for deciding whether one group wants to accept and tolerate the differences of another group.

The value of thinking through what differences exist between groups is considering how those differences could cause problems in the future. This is useful when considering whether to accept any migration from certain groups or not and the potential impact of changing demographics. What happens if the demographics change and certain differences become more prominent? Is the ancestral population happy with those differences becoming a primary part of their day to day life if the demographics change?

## **Differences that could be more likely to lead to disputes and conflict**

* **Crime and public safety -** Differences in crime rates, types of crime, gang activity, domestic violence, fraud, public disorder or attitudes toward police can create serious conflict. Crime rates could be affected by group differences but it is important to note that they can also be affected by age structure, sex ratios, poverty, trauma, urbanisation, policing practices, legal status and social networks.
* **Politics** - Differences in political ideology such as liberal vs conservative values, secularism vs religiosity, individualism vs collectivism or short term vs long term orientation. There can be differing views on authoritarianism, democracy and restrictions on speech. Growing tensions could occur due to changing demographics and the influence this has on voting power and majority vs minority dynamics. Group differences could also exist for areas like political participation, public infrastructure and services usage, patronage and in-group favouritism.
* **Religion** - Some religious traditions or movements have political dimensions, especially where believers seek to influence law, education, family policy, dress codes, blasphemy rules or the relationship between religion and the state. You also have potential issues around views on sexuality, proselytising behaviours, public religious expression, apostasy and radicalisation. Conflict is more likely when religious law is treated as superior to civil law or when dissent, apostasy or criticism is not tolerated.
* **Work ethic** - Willingness and ambition to work hard leading to differences in outcomes around access to jobs and business opportunities. Could lead to wealth gaps and there could also be differences in how groups handle success or failure as well as their willingness to use or rely on state welfare.
* **History** - Group differences in relation to past wars and conflicts, colonisation, oppression, genocide or expulsions. Grievances brought into the country, distrust based on what one group did to another historically or competing narratives about history and victimhood.
* **Diaspora politics and imported conflicts** - Migrant communities may bring attachments to foreign conflicts, independence movements and sectarian disputes that are happening more recently. These conflicts can reappear through protests, lobbying, intimidation, fundraising, foreign influence campaigns or tensions between diaspora groups.
* **Intelligence** - Differences in intelligence between groups could translate into skill gap differences, group dominance in specific industries, unequal wealth outcomes and imbalanced distributions of skill sets across different sectors. Lower intelligence can often be associated with higher rates of crime and impulsivity and more vulnerability to misinformation, exploitation and poor decision making. Differences in rates of reproduction, migration and acceptance of cousin marriage could contribute towards lowering the population’s average intelligence over time. Declining levels of average intelligence could make the other factors like crime, work ethic and politics increasingly problematic in the future. Lower intelligence by itself does not necessarily create disputes and conflicts but it can create an environment where more problems emerge more frequently which do then lead to disputes and conflict.
* **Gender norms and child welfare** - Differences over women’s rights, domestic authority, forced marriage, child marriage, honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation, divorce rights, inheritance, education for girls, LGBT rights and parental authority can create serious conflict where cultural or religious norms clash with the host society’s legal standards.
* **Clan, caste, tribal or kinship structures** - Some groups may organise social life strongly around extended family, clan, caste, tribe or lineage. This can support mutual aid, but it can also produce nepotism, endogamy, communal voting, pressure on individuals, arranged marriage networks, revenge conflicts or distrust of neutral state institutions.
* **Foreign influence and transnational repression -** Foreign states, parties, religious authorities or organisations may fund institutions, influence media, monitor dissidents, pressure diaspora communities or mobilise migrants for foreign political goals. This can create security and sovereignty concerns.
* **Language & communication** - Primary language spoken, communication styles and dialects. Language will have an affect on school life, courts, public services and employment. Differences can break down communication between groups which can lead to disputes and conflict.
* **Parallel societies and segregation** — Migrants who segregate and create their own distinct groups in clustered neighbourhoods or regions could lead to disputes with the host population.

## **Differences that might not be tolerated**

Some differences might be easier to tolerate than others, sometimes people would prefer to not tolerate certain differences at all. The aggregate of any of these differences and people’s preferences about those differences can result in a decision to accept or decline migrants from certain groups. Any of these differences could still potentially lead to disputes and conflict but that could be less likely than some of the other areas already mentioned above.

* **Identity & physical traits** - Differences in ancestry, racial and ethnic groupings and physical traits. Some groups may want to better guarantee their continuity as a distinct group. Some people could prefer to live and be around people that share the same identity as them such as a similar extended ancestry.
* **Heritage** - Traditions, rituals, festivals, performing arts, music and dance. Differences in ancestry and background could result in a decreasing familiarity and closeness to a nation’s heritage, this might create a growing risk that heritage is not as valued or protected over time due to demographic change.
* **Social norms** - Greetings, gift giving, humour, story telling, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, touch, noise, personal space, punctuality, queueing norms, etiquette, dress, customs, honour, shame, privacy, personal space, politeness and public behaviour.
* **Beliefs** - Mythologies, rituals, morality, taboos and afterlife beliefs.
* **Religion** - Other aspects of religion such as worship practices, dress code and religious holidays.
* **Family** - Expectations around marriage, gender roles, having kids and the number of children they have. Differences of opinion around taking care of elders, cousin marriage, inheritance customs, nuclear vs extended families, burial practices and the role of women in the household and public life.
* **Dating** - Expectations around courtship, sexuality and promiscuity and preferences to date within the same group or with certain groups over other groups.
* **Authority & law** - Different attitudes towards authority and hierarchy, amount of respect for government and following rules could cause issues, for example a group with a history of distrust in institutions might resist integration programs or law enforcement.
* **Legal & civic expectations** - Difference expectations for enforcing rule of law and handling corruption, bribery, bureaucracy, civil law differences with religious and customary laws, citizenship and loyalty, military service, taxation, jury duty and any public obligations.
* **Work ethic** - Differences in punctuality, work life balance, productivity, culture of innovation, risk taking, work habits and group tendencies to pursue entrepreneurship.
* **External loyalties** - Differences in loyalties and preferences towards outside states. Involvement could include foreign conflicts or politics or access to funding from foreign governments and organisations.
* **Education** - Primary language being used, curriculum preferences and what history is being taught, influence of religion in schooling, gender norms in school and segregated vs integrated schooling preferences.
* **Food** - Cuisines, hospitality, dietary requirements and preparation methods like halal or kosher.
* **Leisure & entertainment** - Media, music, art forms, recreation, games and sports.
* **Health** - Immunity, vaccination attitudes or endemic diseases.

## **Can migrants fully assimilate into society?**

Assimilation is when migrants adopt the dominant culture, language, norms, values and behaviours of the host society to such an extent that their original cultural distinctiveness largely disappears. It is seen as a one-way street, where the immigrant group changes to fit into the existing society. The responsibility to change lies almost entirely on the immigrant.

Full assimilation is only possible on a cultural basis. Ancestry and genetics are fixed differences that exist between distinct groups, something that cannot be changed. The cultural differences that do exist can be potentially adopted by immigrant groups, assimilation is therefore possible for resolving many group differences in certain cases.

In practice it can be extremely difficult for immigrants to assimilate into another country’s culture as there are so many potential differences that they would need to abandon to fully adopt the host’s culture and way of life. Expecting a migrant to fully abandon their own identity when they join another country could also be considered somewhat extreme and unlikely. It would be difficult to expect anyone to fully assimilate even after many years of living in another country.

Assimilation also becomes increasingly difficult when you increase the rate of immigration. The more immigrants that come into a country in a similar time period the easier it becomes to find other people that share the migrants same background. It can become easier to embrace their own culture and norms or even other cultures from other immigrants and not experience the host’s culture and norms. If assimilation is going to be achieved without changing the hosts culture it will likely mean that only a small number of immigrants can come in each year to allow those immigrants enough time and exposure to adopt the hosts culture. Though this could still result in changing the genetic makeup of the country, such as differences in physical traits amongst the population. The host population would need to accept that certain differences could potentially become more dominant in the future.

If the host population wants to remain as a homogenous society to better protect their ancestral group’s way of life they may want to prevent immigration from groups that do not share their ancestral background.

## **Can migrants fully integrate into society?**

Integration is when migrants participate fully in the social, economic and political life of the host country but without being forced to give up their cultural identity. The idea is that migrants should foster mutual respect rather than complete uniformity with the host nation. Integration is a two-way process of mutual adaptation, aiming for inclusion while maintaining diversity. The host society must be open to cultural differences and the immigrant group must find ways to contribute and connect with the host population.

Integration is possible and much easier to achieve than assimilation. However integration also means the host’s culture is likely going to change due to them adapting to the incoming immigrants that will not be expected to fully abandon their cultural identity. In these situations the differences between these groups become even more important to understand.

In practice, it is difficult to understand the full reality of the differences that can exist between two groups and what it will be like to live in the same country. As well as this, differences that might have not been problematic or undesirable in the beginning could become increasingly problematic and disliked by the host population over time.

Integration is more risky and potentially problematic due to the reality that it is difficult to know ahead of time how groups with different cultures will live together and how those differences might cause disputes and conflict over time. The differences that exist within other groups could become the dominant part of the country in the future due to changing demographics. As demographics are hard to influence and control, the reality of integration is that the host population could be inviting in permanent cultural changes and differences that in the future could become the dominant part of the culture. The host population needs to understand this before inviting in lots of immigrants when the only expectation is that they integrate into society.

If a host population wants to protect its own culture and prevent it from being changed over time it will not want immigrants to integrate into society, instead it realistically wants assimilation. If a host population doesn’t mind their culture being changed by external groups but doesn’t want those cultures to become the dominant part of their own society then they will need to consider which immigrants are given citizenship and voting power to participate in politics. The host population may need to revoke visas from immigrants if the demographic changes and this becomes more problematic for maintaining the hosts own distinct culture.

Integration is much easier to achieve but this is where understanding group differences is extremely important. A host population needs to be able to reverse this change if they no longer want to accept the differences that it does not want to accept. Sometimes making an informed decision will only possible after living with these groups to experience those differences in daily life.