Ethnic bias from within: Catalan preferences for Catalan-sounding names in adoption decisions

Although name-based differential treatment has been widely studied in societies with a dominant language, less is known about how such preferences function within multilingual societies where regional and national hierarchies intersect. In Catalonia, where Spanish–Catalan linguistic boundaries overlap with contested political identities, we investigate whether name-based preferences shape evaluations in adoption decisions. Using a conjoint experiment simulating adoption applications (n = 4298), we find evidence of a preference for couples with Catalan-sounding names over those with Spanish-sounding names. This effect concentrates among Catalan native speakers, those with strong Catalan national identity, respondents with two Catalan-born parents, supporters of pro-independence parties, and left-wing voters regardless of their stance on independence. We also find that the effect is particularly pronounced among respondents with anti-Muslim attitudes. This research contributes to understanding how name-based markers function differently across political and linguistic contexts, highlighting the challenges facing multilingual democracies in maintaining social cohesion while navigating competing identity claims.