The impact of new forms of highly inclusive superordinate identities (i.e., categories that any person may consider oneself a member) is complex, as illustrated by its positive (e.g. intergroup help) and negative (e.g. ingroup projection) effects on intergroup relations. Most of these studies, however, relied on a variety of labels (e.g., humans; global citizens) and their content remains unclear. We propose that different labels activate different contents and conducted 7 studies, using a prototype approach, to examine lay perceptions of highly inclusive social categories. In Study 1 (n = 248), an inductive content analysis of attributes generated by participants revealed that labels activate significantly different sets of constructs. Specifically, we proposed a distinction between all-inclusive and globally-oriented labels. Studies 2-7 focused on “Citizens of the World”, as a globally-oriented label, and preliminary results suggest its prototypical structure. Participants (Study 2, n = 127) rated the centrality of attributes generated in Study 1, allowing the identification of central (e.g., multiculturalism) and peripheral (e.g., affection) attributes. As predicted, central attributes (vs. peripheral) were more accurately and quickly associated with the label (Study 3; n = 53); more often remembered and falsely recognized (Study 4; n = 64); more effective to identify the label (Study 5; n = 97); and prompted higher levels of identification with the label (Studies 6, n = 62, and 7, n = 203). These findings provide useful insights to a better understanding the meaning and the ambiguous effects of highly inclusive identities.

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superordinate identification,highly inclusive social groups,citizen of the world,identification with all humanity,global citizenship