ABSTRACT
The results of the IPSOS Survey have showed significant differences in loyalty towards the nation-building programme pursued in seven Western Balkan states. Nation-building in Western Europe in the 'first wave' was closely linked to democracy-building: as the lower classes achieved the right to vote and other political rights, they came to identify more closely with the state. This means that, on the basis of survey data, we are not able to formulate any positive theory as to correspondence between state-building and nation-building. When it comes to politics and attitudes towards nation-building, religion is basically a proxy for ethnicity. As Endresen shows, political rivalries are not linked to identity issues, and party affiliations cut across both religious and ethnic divides. The ethnic and religious composition of a state, as well as indicators of institutional and economic strength such as GDP per capita, unemployment rate, and life expectancy, can be regarded as the structural preconditions for nation-building.
