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How do you measure a threat in the air? Testing the universal, dynamic, and multifaceted nature of social identity threat.

Kathryn M. Kroeper,Ariana Hernandez-Colmenares,Dorainne J. Green,Heidi E. Williams,Austin Kuzdal,Juan Ospina,C. Moore,Gunjan Agarwal,A. Heckler,Jennifer Crocker,Kentaro Fujita,Mary C Murphy,Steven J. Spencer

Published 2026 in Science Advances

ABSTRACT

Social identity threat is a vigilance state in which a person anticipates that others in a setting may devalue them because of one (or more) of their social identities. According to theory, threat is multifaceted-encompassing concerns about stereotyping, belonging, fairness, authenticity, and more-and situational, fluctuating depending on which identities and contextual cues are salient. Threat is also theorized as a universal experience-affecting potentially anyone, across any of their identities. Here, we put these central aspects of theory to the test by introducing the Social Identity Threat Concerns (SITC) Inventory, a self-report instrument designed to assess threat across varied identity-by-context situations. Across nine studies (N = 8533), we show that threat is common across social groups yet situational, emerging under specific, theorized conditions. The SITC Inventory is a field-advancing tool that equips researchers to better understand and reduce identity-based threats, laying the groundwork for more inclusive and equitable environments.

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