Building a psychological measure of nationalism: Sukarno’s influence on Indonesian national identity

Abstract

Psychological assessments of nationalism have largely relied on Western conceptual frameworks, often neglecting ideological traditions from the Global South. In Indonesia, Sukarno the country’s founding father articulated a form of nationalism grounded in rationality, anti-chauvinism, humanism, and pluralism. Drawing from his ideological legacy, a 10item measurement scale was developed to capture six core dimensions of Indonesian nationalism: rationality, nonchauvinism, non-superiority, unity of fate, rejection of ethnic exclusivity, and recognition of plurality. The scale was administered to 504 university students across diverse institutions using a cross-sectional survey design. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a strong model fit (χ2 = 0.120, RMSEA = 0.036, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.97, SRMR = 0.040), with all items demonstrating significant contributions (t > 1.96) and acceptable internal reliability (CR = 0.72). Findings revealed that nationalism was most strongly expressed through economic engagement-particularly in support for domestic products- rather than through ethnic or tribal identification. This pattern suggests a shift among younger Indonesians toward civic and economic forms of national identity. Moreover, the scale reflects a form of national attachment more closely aligned with constructive patriotism than blind nationalism, highlighting critical loyalty, democratic values, and openness to diversity. By offering a culturally grounded, psychometrically sound tool, the instrument advances the measurement of nationalism in non-Western settings. It holds practical relevance for civic education, national identity programmes, and cross-cultural research in political and social psychology.