Nation Bias

The emotional and cognitive privileging of one's nation (the imagined cultural community) over other groups. It's a form of in-group favoritism that assumes the interests, values, and people of your nation are more important, correct, or worthy than those of others. This bias fuels nationalism, jingoism, and the belief that national loyalty trumps universal ethical principles or global solidarity.

*Example: A news outlet covers a natural disaster, spending 20 minutes on the plight of 10 national citizens affected abroad, and 2 minutes on a foreign disaster that killed 10,000. This Nation Bias frames suffering through the lens of national identity, implying the lives of co-nationals are inherently more newsworthy and grievable.*

by Nammugal February 5, 2026

Nation State Bias

The unconscious predisposition to view the nation-state—a relatively modern construct of a bordered territory with a centralized government—as the natural, inevitable, and primary unit of human political organization. This bias leads to assuming global problems must have national solutions, that national identity is paramount, and that political maps divided into colored countries represent a fundamental reality, rather than a contingent, often violently imposed, administrative layer.

Example: When a pandemic hits, the immediate global response is framed by Nation State Bias: "What is France's policy? What is Brazil's strategy?" This overlooks more relevant units like cities, regions, or global supply chains, and creates competition for vaccines instead of coordinated, transnational public health planning.

by Nammugal February 5, 2026